Milo
by Barnbandit
Summary: What happens when the all powerful and stoic CEO of Kaiba Corp meets an artist with her heart on her sleeve? SK/OC M rating for future chapters.
1. Chapter 1

**Thank you for viewing! This is SK/OC, so if that is not your cup of tea, feel free to move along, no feelings hurt. :) Please forgive any rough formatting, it's been a while since I've posted, so I'm still getting the hang of uploading.  
Constructive criticism is appreciated, but flaming and bashing is rude, and will be laughed at and thrown away with yesterday's news. (I work retail you don't scare me)**

 **This is a work in progress, but I will continue to post as long as I am able. Thank you for your time.**

 **BB**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh or any of it's characters, this is a work for pure enjoyment.**

I started out in accounting. It wasn't hard, you didn't even really have to be that good at math. One of the benefits of working for one of the highest rated technology corporations in the world, when it came to software it was ready for you. I handled different accounts paid and received, just one of dozens of drones doing the exact same thing. One thing that was different though was due too my Western raising I was very social, creating connections with returning clients and turning them to regulars and thus increasing production. I was only in accounting maybe six months before I was moved to a cozy secretary position on the top floor, handling different contractors that worked for us. Everything from the men who washed the windows of the large skyscraper to computer designers eager for a sit down with our CEO came across my desk. It was my job to sort, assign appointments and transfer the accounts where they needed to go if they weren't directly my responsibility. Overall it was a fairly simple job, and through it I came to know many of the regulars that would come through. Jeninco was the head of security. Ryo was the supervisor of janitorial. For the most part the only appointments I would have to transfer where the ones for the big boss himself. Those usually went to his personal assistant, Kiko. Personally, I thought Kiko took her position a bit too seriously. Don't misunderstand, being the assistant to the CEO of a fortune 500 company did come with it's fair amount of stress, especially with our leader being one of the youngest and most successful in his field, but this woman was wound tighter than a Swiss clock. Every appointment had to happen _on time_. Her desk was down the way from mine, and more then once I'd seen her scolding anyone strolling up more then a moment late. Often if I'd gone to her with a client I thought should sit down with the CEO, she'd rejected it. She claimed that his time was too precious for things of that nature. More then once I'd ask her to simply ask what the boss man would like done with these clients, but she would have nothing of it. _'Isn't that your job to figure these things out?'_ She would ask sobbingly, and I would be left to explain to the contractors that they would not be able to talk to our executive and they would have to be happy with some underling that ultimately, would have to go to the boss anyway. Although I shared a floor with the head honcho, I never saw him. While it wouldn't surprise me if someone told me he had a personal lift, to my understanding he arrived early every morning and left late every day. Which showed incredible devotion, but I had to wonder what sort of life that left him. Just with my _normally_ 9 to 5 hours I had my hands full, usually resulting in my staying late Friday nights just to wrap up what needed to be submitted before the new week to follow. It was during this time that I truly carved out a place for myself. While there were a handful of steady employees that stayed late, (Kiko included) by 8 though, usually the place was a ghost town. Taking advantage of my isolation, I would often video chat with my younger brother across the seas in the United States, staying with my father. Damian was my heart, and kept me grounded when all else seemed too much. Always hopeful, and encouraging, he'd cheered me on every step of the way to my current job, even when I knew he struggled to find the same light in himself.

It was on a Friday one week, I was working avidly on a spreadsheet with Damian on a call. His small video feed was pressed into the top corner so that I may still see him while I worked. "How are you feeling this week D?" I asked, fingers flying over the keyboard, eyes focused hard on the screen. _"I'm just fine."_ "Really." My brow lifted and I flicked a knowing glance to the camera sitting atop my monitor. _"Really."_ "That's cute, want to try again?" I hummed, taking my fingers off the keys for a moment to use the mouse to drag a few things over the screen. An audible sigh came through the speakers. _"It's dad."_ "What about Dad?" I asked curiously, albeit a bit distracted. _"He's talking about moving again..."_ That drew a frown over my features. "Why?" _"He says he's met someone..."_ That brought a pause to my hands. "What?" _"This girl in Arizona-"_ "What about his job?" I said, cutting the boy off. _"He says he's just going to transfer to Tuscon...Milo I don't wanna go."_ I sighed and leaned back in my chair. This wasn't the first time something of this nature had happened. My father was a good man, but had a bad habit of losing himself in love, and as a result had a tendency to allow it to have a voice over my brother's. I'd begged my father to let Damian come here, to stay with me, but the cost and lack of trust between us always ground any plans to a screeching halt. "I'm sorry D..." _"What am I supposed to do? Just go along with it? It's bullshi-"_ "Hey." I said firmly, leaning forward once more. I was going to respond when the sound of the elevator from around the corner had me turning to look. _"What?"_ "Nothing, just the elevator...but look, I need to get this done anyway." I looked to the camera once more. "We'll talk more about this later, okay? Keep me posted." _"I will. Love you."_ "Love you too." The small box in the corner of the screen closed as the boy hung up. Curiosity had me looking as the lift dinged, showing it's destination. A boy, probably around Damian's age came around the corner, phone glowing in his hand. "Hey." I said, genuinely wondering what a pre-teen might be doing in the building this time of night, and how he might have got there. The dark haired boy jumped, head instantly coming up to look my way. "Oh!" My brows lifted, a tiny smile on my lips. "I'm sorry, did I scare you?" He gave a crooked grin. "A bit! I didn't think anyone worked this late!" "What brings you here?" I asked, looking around to see if he might be with anyone, but the floor was empty. "Are you lost?" "Me? Oh no! I just came after my brother. Sometimes he works a bit too hard and forgets to eat." He said, holding up a bag he'd been carrying of what appeared to be takeout. "Oh...You sure you have the right floor hun? I think everyone's left already..." I said, standing to look over to the desks, but sure enough they were all empty. "Oh yea, I know where I'm going, but hey, don't work to hard yourself!" The boy gave a bright smile and started off down the walkway to a set of large wooden double doors on the other side of Kiko's desk. I was about to stop him when he pressed a code into the handle and slipped through. "Oh..." It would appear the head boss had a brother of his own, and I'd just met him.

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	2. Chapter 2

**I have decided to upload a chapter a day, time willing. Once again, please forgive any spelling or formatting errors. Thanks! BB**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh or it's characters**

While I wasn't new to this country, I wasn't totally familiar with it's celebrities. Here, there was a wide popularity for a card game called Duel Monsters. I'd had some exposure to it in the US, it wasn't to the extent it was here. It's where my boss had gotten his success, not only as a champion and top rate duelist himself, but running several tournaments. It wasn't hard to find information, being young and successful made him desirable, and thus everyone wanted to know about the mysterious Kaiba Seto. 'Mokuba.' I thought, scanning one of the many articles I'd found. That was the boy's name. "What do you think Damian?" I asked, showing him the handful of dueling cards I'd gathered during the week. _"They kind of look like Magic The Gathering cards."_ Said the boy, his face close to the screen to look. "Kinda... don't think the game's quite the same though." _"How does the game work?"_ I gave a clear look of ignorance. "I haven't the foggiest clue." "Well _these_ are all monster cards." Spoke a voice from behind my monitor. _"Ah!"_ "Ah!" My brother and I let out a tiny shriek of surprise at the sight of the dark haired teen, who just grinned. "You've never played Duel Monsters?" "I'm from America, it's not quite so popular there..." I muttered, a slight blush tinting my nose. _"Who's that?"_ "I'm Mokuba." Said the teen, coming around so he could be seen. "I should probably be working..." I mumbled. _"I'm Damian."_ Both boys gave a grin to one another. "Cool! Nice to meet you!" He looked to me. "I didn't know Seto hired an American..." "Well I started in accounting so..." I found myself nervous. One cross word from this boy to his brother and I could kiss this job goodbye. _"I've never made friends with someone outside the States. Neat!"_ The smile on my brother's face eased my turning stomach. "Really? Cool!" The boy leaned against my desk and picked up the small stack of cards I had sitting in front of my keyboard. "So with Duel Monsters, you have three basic kinds of cards..." He held up a yellow colored card with a picture of a knight on the face. "This is a monster card. See? This one's called Gaia The Fierce Knight. Down at the bottom there's a set of numbers, the first one's attack, and the other is defense. See?" The boy held the card up close to the camera so my brother could look. _"Ohhh, okay."_ "You would use these to attack. See? Gaia is stronger then this card..." He picked up another and held it up. "Armageddon Knight has an attack of 1400 while Gaia has an attack of 2300." _"So Gaia would win."_ Filled in my brother. The teen beside me grinned. "Right! Doesn't look like you have any magic or trap cards though..." He said flicking through the cards. "What do they do?" I asked, curious. "Well they can do anything really. Stop an attack, strengthen your monsters, you name it. That's the beauty of it." Said Mokuba with a smile towards me. "I'll have to show you some time." _"Would you? This looks like fun..."_ Said Damian, tilting his head to look further at the cards in the teen's hands. "Sure! My brother Seto's really good at this stuff. I've never really played though..." My brows lifted. "You seem to know what you're doing for someone who's never played..." "Oh, well I practice by myself sometimes, but anyway..." He gave me a smile. "We've got tons of cards laying around. I'll bring some by next time." His head turned to look at the clock on the wall behind me. "But I better go! It was nice meeting you Damian." _"You too! Thank you so much."_ "Right!" The boy looked to me and gave a wide smile. "And I never got your name." "I'm...Milo." "Milo, right! Well I'll see you around!" He left the cards at the base of my keyboard and gave a wave as he went around my desk and once again headed through the abandoned desks to the secured door. _"He seems nice! Friend of one of your coworkers?"_ "My boss actually..." I said, studying the door. Everything I'd read and heard about Kaiba Seto said he was cold, distant, and every part a business man. His brother though, he seemed nothing but kind and patient. _"Oh...did I get you in trouble?"_ I looked back with a clear look of uncertainty. "I'm not... totally sure."

It would actually be a few weeks before I would see the dark haired boy again. By then I had formed a ritual with my brother. Same time every week. _"I found this tiny little shop in a strip mall that sells them, but it's just the booster packs, and dad hasn't been very generous with my allowance..."_ Muttered the boy, fanning out the cards he'd gotten from the store, cocking his head. _"Even the clerk didn't know much about them."_ I chuckled, hands flying over my keys as I typed up a summery that was going to Kiko that would _hopefully_ end up on Mr. Kaiba's desk, once again asking for a sit down with the CEO. "Have you tried online? I'm sure there's some videos that could help." _"Of duels, but no tutorials."_ "Well then it's a good thing I've got some time on my hands then, huh?" Spoke a voice, drawing my attention from the screen. It was the younger Kaiba. "Mokuba." I smiled and looked to Damian. "Look who's here." I tilted the camera and my brother's smile grew. _"Hey! How are you?"_ "I'm great! I was hoping I'd find you here." He nodded and reached into his pocket and pulled out what looked like a stack of duel monster cards. "I brought my deck, I thought maybe I could go over some more basics with you. If you're still interested." _"Yea!"_ Exclaimed my brother, eyes lit up in excitement. "I'm going to have to pass this time, I should finish, but..." I reached up and adjusted the camera so that my brother could see the other boy before dragging over a chair from the desk next to mine. "You can use that part of my desk. Don't let me stop you." "You sure?" The dark haired boy asked politely. "Really, he's been badgering me about it for a while, and I just don't have the foggiest clue." I gave a bright smile to the boy beside me. Making himself at home around the scattered pieces on my desk, the young millionaire started a crash course through the world of duel monsters, my brother eating up every last word. The time seemed to fly by that way. My brother and the other teen talking avidly back and forth while I flew through my work, happy that my brother was happy. As the late evening was hinting towards early morning, I leaned down to where the printer was stored under my desk. 'Finally done' I mentally sighed, ready to be through with my work week. Suddenly, a deeper, different voice from the excited teenage voices to which I'd grown accustom over the last few hours took me by surprise. "Mokuba, what are you doing?" A tiny shriek left me as I slammed my head on the bottom of my desk, a groan quick to follow as I finished sitting up, cradling my damaged skull. "Are you okay?" Said Mokuba, hand over his mouth to cover what I knew had to be a grin. "No...I think I forgot how to math." I whimpered, rubbing the tender spot, grimace on my face. _"Go ahead, blame it on the desk."_ I shot a dirty look to the boy on the screen. "Seto! This is my friend Damian, and his sister Milo! I'm teaching them duel monsters." I looked up, and instantly my heart leaped into my throat. Head man himself stood before us, arms crossed and brow raised, every bit what the articles said he was. Tall, postured, and poised, with a pair of sharp blue eyes. Pointed right at me. For a solid minute I felt like a deer in a pair of headlights. "Damian lives in the States. Where do you live again?" Asked Mokuba to my brother. _"North Carolina, for now."_ "Where is that?" Asked the boy, looking to his brother. "East coast if I'm not mistaken." The sharp blue irises turned to the teen beside me and I felt myself able to breathe again. _"That's right! It's pretty here, but it's pretty rural. Our closest neighbor is almost a mile away."_ "Really." The boys were clearly enamored with one another, losing track quickly of the added newcomer. "So what time is it there?" "Ten AM... which means it's time for you to get off Damian." I said, finding my voice once more, packing my things into a small satchel for me to take home. _"What? C'mon, my tutor won't be here for another hour..."_ "I know you haven't eaten breakfast yet, besides it's getting late here... Go on, say your goodbyes." I said firmly. "Seto..." "She's right, it's time to go." Said the CEO. "Aww, alright." Pouted the teen beside me. "Want to try again next week?" _"Sure! I'll make sure Milo brings her iPad so we won't bother her so much..."_ "That's a good idea, okay! See you!" _"Bye!"_ "Have a good day Damian, love-" I spoke, looking up just in time to see the box in the corner of my monitor flick closed. "You... What am I? Chopped liver?" I muttered, shaking my head. "Did you get your report done?" Asked Mokuba, a wide grin on his lips. "Yea, I'll drop it in Kiko's-" "Here Seto." Before I could object, the teen had my paper offered to the older brother. At my look the teen cocked his head. "Was that not right?" "No, that's right, usually Kiko reads it over first though." I said, turning to stand, grabbing my coat to protect against the chill that was starting to grow at night. The older Kaiba took the papers without at word, and I worried if I looked up I would once again find those sharp eyes on me. "Well Mokuba, it's been a pleasure." I gave a smile before turning and bowing to his older brother. "And an honor meeting you Mr. Kaiba." I said respectfully, hoping he would accept the American title. "Do you want me to call security to walk you out?" Offered the dark haired boy. "Oh no, I'll be fine. Thank you. See you next week." Giving one last smile, I turned and headed for the lift. One last hidden glance at the brothers saw them heading back towards the secured door, the taller of the two already skimming over the sheets in his hand. Well then... wasn't that just interesting?

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	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you for staying with me! Some chapters might be shorter then others, I'm trying to do semi natural breaks, but I didn't write them as chapters. Don't forget to favorite and review! BB**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own yugioh or it's characters**

"Milo!" I looked over to the lift a few days later as a familiar face came around the corner. It was Jin Tinaki from IT. He and I had been having back and forth trying to get him into Kaiba's office to discuss a new training program. All of which had been in the summery report that the younger brother had so eloquently passed over last Friday. "Jin. What are you doing up here?" I asked curiously. "I have a meeting with Kaiba-sama. He wants to know more about the new training project! Good job! I knew you could do it!" The man was positively beaming as he strode passed, heading for the secured doors at the end of the runway. When he came out a few hours later, he was still smiling. "You got it?" I asked, a smile of my own growing on my face. "He wants me to draw up the details! You're amazing! I owe you dinner!" He said as he passed by, arms filled with papers. "Make it take out!" "You got it babe!" I chuckled a bit before turning back to my computer. "Newman-san." I turned at the sound of Kiko's sharp tone. "Kaiba-sama would like to see you in his office." "Oh... When?" "Now." It felt as if a large stone suddenly dropped into my stomach. Now? "Oh... alright..." Forcing my seemingly frozen joints to move, I slowly stood and made my way down the raceway. What could he want to speak to me about? Was it Jin? Or maybe was the boys. My heart froze at that thought. Had I done something wrong by introducing them? I would just have to explain the situation to him. It _had_ been an accident after all. Mentally going over my outfit to ensure it was in place, I found it work place appropriate. Long black locks were pinned up, unlike Friday night when I had allowed them free. Tasteful hoops sat in my ears, matching the button up blouse that trailed down to dark slacks and heeled boots. Well within the confinements of professional. Pausing at the shut doors, I waited for Kiko to let me in. A cool rush of air came from inside the wide office. Windows started at one side of the office to the other. In front of them sat a large, lavish desk. In the far corner sat a plasma screen TV, a table and couch in front with a set of chairs to the side. For some reason I doubted it was for the man behind the desk. To the left I saw a few sets of doors, to what I could only imagine was a washroom and the lift I'd suspected the man used. The man's eyes never left the file on the desk before him, so I waited. Today he wore a navy blue suit, where the other day his suit had been white. I couldn't fathom what the cost of those suits were. Then again what was a couple thousand dollars to man with billions? As if stirred from his stupor, he looked up and I swear the stone in my stomach swelled. "Please, sit." His hand waved to one of the chairs in front of the desk and I stiffly made my way to it. Perching on the seat, I laced my fingers in my lap to stop them from fidgeting. "Jin seems to think that his new training program was _your_ idea." I blinked and swallowed the lump in my throat. "Oh? I don't know why..." My brows pinned as I tucked my gaze to look at my fingers. "I mean Jin came to me a few weeks ago talking about how he couldn't get people qualified enough to come in and work... I asked him how could he? With us releasing the next best thing every week the chance of finding someone who was able to master it quickly was slim to none. Let alone enough to fill the gap in his staff. So I recommended a training week. Jin is the one who came to me with the idea about a program. I do think it's a good idea...obviously I mean..." I cleared my throat to stop myself from rambling further. "And you think Kaiba Corp should put time and money into this." "Yes sir." "Would you?" I blinked, head coming up to look at the CEO behind the desk. He was leaned back in his chair, fingers laced together, watching my reaction. "Yes sir...With all due respect, Kaiba Corp has already put it's time and money into IT specialists that end up quitting, or transferring to another position. If you decide to invest in this project, not only would you be _saving_ Kaiba Corp money in the long run by staying with the employees you have already hired, you are getting a much greater quality of knowledge by solidifying what everyone knows as a whole. Everyone would be on the same page from day one." He leaned back in his chair, studying me for a long moment before sitting forward once more. Closing the file, he stacked it neatly before holding it out to me. "Alright. Make it happen. Whatever he needs, ensure he gets it. Should you have any trouble direct them to me." "Yes sir." I took the file and moved to stand. "Was there anything else I can do for you sir?" "No. You may go." I nearly let out a sigh of relief but instead bowed slightly at the waist. I hadn't made it quite to the door when he spoke once more. "One more thing." I looked back to find him already pounding away at the keys in front of his monitor. "You do this for more then just IT." "Yes sir. I'm a..." I looked for the right word. "A liaison between Kaiba Corp and the many contractors and companies it employs." He paused for a moment, thinking over what I had said. "From now on, I want these reports delivered to me directly." I was just about to ask how when his fingers resumed over the keyboard. "You can get my email from Kiko." "Yes sir." As I left the office, I instantly felt the relief come over my form. The stone was gone and in it's place sat butterflies. This was...good? He liked my work and I could finally fill some of the promises I'd given to a number of contractors. As I got a business card from a disgruntled looking Kiko, I returned to my desk, a smile firmly in place. Today was a good day.


	4. Chapter 4

**I thank everyone for being patient with me, and taking the time to read. Please remember to subscribe and favorite, as this is a work in progress!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh or it's characters.**

"Hello Mokuba." I said, small smile in place as I peeked at the corner of my eye to see the boy. "Awww, I was hoping I could get you." Said the teen with a wide grin as he came over, a bag in his hand. "Not quite as sneaky as your brother." I muttered, clearing the end of my desk to allow him plenty of room, iPad already propped up on it's case pointing towards us, my brother's face taking up the whole screen. "I brought food." Said the teen, opening his bag and pulling out what looked like a sub. "I wasn't sure what you liked, so I got a few different things..." Said Mokuba, pulling out three different sandwiches wrapped and taped to go. "I have a ham and cheese, BLT, and italian." I blinked. "You didn't have to get me anything. That's so sweet." He gave a bright smile. "I wanted too! Besides I was already picking up something for Seto and I. Speaking of, I should run this to him." He stood once more. "Be right back!" He jogged down the hall and I looked to my brother. "Boy, I wish I could just have a _selection_ at my disposal." I said with a chuckle, deciding on the ham and cheese. _"Now now, be nice."_ "I am, I am." I dismissed, leaning back in my chair to unwrap the sub. "I didn't even think they made these here." I grunted, taking a bite of the end. "I found a place that serves American food. I thought you might like it." Said Mokuba, coming back and grabbing one of the remaining sandwiches. I felt touched. He'd gone to so much trouble. The boys were chattering back and forth for a bit while Mokuba finished eating, allowing me to think over this week's proposal to the CEO. Now that it went directly to him instead of directly in Kiko's trash can, I felt a bit of pressure. Staring at my screen in thought, the words didn't come to me as easily as they usually did. This week was just a simple change in the number of staffing for janitorial, so I wasn't quite sure how to express it. As my computer's screensaver came over, it caused the boy beside me to look over in wonder. "Whoa, what's that?" Breaking from my internal struggle, I looked at the screen. "Oh, it's just a drawing of a D and D character I drew up a few years ago." I replied. "D and D?" _"Dungeons and Dragons?"_ Offered Damian. "Like...30 year old playing in the basement?" Giggled the boy. "No, it's not quite like that." I said with a chuckle, moving the mouse and going to locate the file. "This... is Madrish. An elf paladin. Like a knight." _"Super religious though."_ "Right." I confirmed. "How do you play?" Asked Mokuba, leaning forward to see a few of the drawings I had put onto my computer to break the bland undertone from the workspace. "Little more to it then duel monsters... you draw up a character, roll dice to get your stats." _"You pick from a bunch of different races, then you have classes."_ "What are classes?" "Like...jobs." I flicked through the folder. "Like that's a druid, kind of like a nature witch...that's a rogue, which is like an assassin." _"Personally I like the monk class."_ I nodded. "He does. This is Nami his monk from the last campaign." I flicked over to show a yellow and red robed figure. "Wow! That's so cool! These are really good too." Said the teen. _"Milo's really good at stuff like that."_ "I like drawing characters." I said with a shrug as I once again flicked it to my nearly blank report. "Could you imagine a game like that though?" Said Mokuba. "They have a couple kind of like it, but they aren't quite so interactive. You know what would be cool is virtual reality. Imagine if you could create, _and play_ this character. Think about it, you connect it to the internet, you could campaign with _anyone anywhere._ " _"What about a DM?"_ "DM?" Asked Mokuba. "Dungeon Master." I clarified. "They're the ones that usually will decide the fate of the players. He controls the dice rolls and decides how challenging something is..." I looked to my brother. "If you took away the DM and replaced it with a set plot, you really wouldn't need one. Dice rolls wouldn't really exist, with a game you just do it, you know?" _"How long would that last though?"_ "Well as long as you wanted it too. I know games like Oblivion you have the main plot line, but you can spend years doing all the side quests, not to mention little personal stuff like getting married and buying a house. If you think about it the possibilities are endless-" "Wait here!" Suddenly the dark haired teen was up and bolting for the office at the end of the run.

 _"What's his deal?"_ "Not totally sure." I sighed and rocked in my chair. "I'm not really functional today though." _"Why?"_ "Not sure on that either. I think now that I _know_ he's going to read it, it's messing with me." I said with a nod to the end of the hall. _"So?"_ "What do you mean so?" _"I mean it's not your job to decide whether or not something is worth his time."_ "It kind of is..." _"No, but really. He asked that you give him everything you've got right?"_ "More or less." _"So do it. Just keep doing what you're doing. Pretend like it's just going to Kiko's trash."_ "Yea but-" _"No buts, if he doesn't like it_ _ **he**_ _can let them know. Or pay someone to let them know, y'know, whatever works."_ I snorted and cracked a grin. "Could you imagine being that loaded?" _"_ _Considering you and I both know what it's like to live on foodstamps, no."_ I chuckled, swinging my chair back and forth as I talked. "Dad give you an answer on whether you might be moving?" _"_ _No. I think something I said hit close to home though, because he hasn't brought her up in like a week."_ "Nice." _"_ _She was ugly anyway."_ I had to laugh. "That's not nice Damian." _"_ _All that make-up doesn't make you pretty on the inside bi-"_ "What is with your mouth lately? I swear if you teach my boss's brother English swear words I'm going to be very upset." "You aren't the only one." _"_ _Dude, you need to make more noise, you made_ _ **me**_ _jump."_ Grunted Damian as Mokuba sat back down beside me. "Damian." "Look Seto!" Mokuba turned my screen as my screen saver popped up once more. "Mokuba I don't have time for this..." "But _think_ about it! You've been looking for something to release with the VR console!" My brows pinned as I looked to the teen. "Wait, what?" "What if we made a game? Take your idea about playing a character and combine it with a game Seto's already been making?" "I don't understand." _"_ _Dungeon Duel Monsters."_ Said Damian with a clear look of interest. _"_ _That's cool, I like it."_ "D and D has been around for years I can't imagine we're the first to think of this..." "VR is new." Said Kaiba, leaning over and grabbing my mouse and minimizing the blank sheet and finding the folder still popped up containing all the drawings. "Right!" Confirmed the younger Kaiba. _"_ _You are always complaining there's a ton of games that come close but don't quite do it."_ Said Damian. "Yea but..." "You have more of these?" I looked to the older man who was flicking avidly through my collection. _"_ _Tons. Just look at all the ones she's sent me."_ The boy on the screen vanished for a minute before coming back with a thick binder. Opening it up he flashed a rough sketch at the camera. _"_ _Since you can have literally_ _ **any**_ _combination of class and species and background..."_ He flicked through a couple. "Those are all copies I've scanned and sent...the originals are at my apartment..." I said softly. " _Think_ about it Seto! A character _you_ make, an adventure _you_ decide on." Said Mokuba. The look on the older man's face was different then it was when I'd visited his office. This one was calculating. You could tell he was mentally going over every option, every combination. "I want to see them." My brows pinned. "See what?" "The originals. I also want to know about this D and D. Rules, how you play. Everything." "Well um... I mean like I said, I've got all this stuff at my apartment. I'm sure I've got my player's handbook stashed somewhere too." "Let's go then." The man stood up and my heart stopped. "Wha- Now?" "My time is valuable and I need to know more before I make a decision." He said, as if that explained why it couldn't wait until even the following day. Giving a small sigh, I started packing my things. "Okay...Damian looks like it's time for me to go." _"_ _Okay! Call me tomorrow."_ "I will. Love you." _"_ _You too. Bye guys!"_ The boy waved from his spot on the screen before it flicked closed. Grabbing the iPad and everything I would need at home, I stood, the younger Kaiba following suit. As I started for the lift the Kaiba brothers paused. "Where are you going?" Asked Mokuba. "To my car?" "I'll send someone for it." Answered the older brother before continuing the other way towards the secured doors. "Oh...Okay." Jogging to catch up, I followed them into the office and to one of the set of doors.

 **Thank you!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5! Still plenty more where this came from, Yugi and the others will be making an appearance, I just have to find a good way to bring them in. Please review and favorite. BB**

As I suspected. The executive had his own lift that took him directly to the parking garage. A long limo sat waiting. "Where too sir?" The CEO looked to me and I gave the driver my address. Crawling in behind the two, I took a seat across from them. Mokuba was avidly talking to his brother about various points in the plot they could use from the existing game that the elder of the two had obviously already had set up. The drive didn't take that long, and I found I quite liked it when I didn't spend half the drive waiting for my car to warm up. As we pulled up to the tall building I stayed in, I dug in my purse for my keys. As the door opened we climbed out and I nervously led the way. I hadn't exactly expected company when I'd locked my door this morning. As we went inside, I smiled at the door man. "You're early!" Said the polite older man. "Just having a bit of company over..." "I see! Will the car be staying?" The elder Kaiba answered in my place. "Yes." "Very well." He gave a smile in parting and I led the brothers through the clean lobby to the lift. As we boarded I sorted through my keys. "I um... I hope you don't mind dogs." "I _love_ dogs!" Said Mokuba in such a way I had to smile. "Right this way." I summoned them down the well lit hall to the door at the end. As I opened it, a soft glow filled the apartment from the hall light left on, along with quiet music. Instantly the skitter of paws on the wood floor broke the tranquility. Throwing my keys in the bowl, I moved to intercede. A small, low to the ground loaf of a dog barreled down the hall and skid through the kitchen to greet me. At the sight of newcomers he gained speed. "Deezer no! Wait." I stood at the entrance and held a hand out. The excited animal slid to a stop and wiggled in excitement, eyes taking in the sight of newcomers. Hanging up my coat and purse on the set of hooks behind the door, I looked to my guests. "You don't have to take off your shoes... I wasn't expecting company so my floors aren't the cleanest..." I mumbled, a blush over my nose. "Can I pet him?" Asked Mokuba. "Sure." I said with a smile as the boy instantly befriended my pooch. "Make yourselves at home... If you want I can make up some tea at the table..." The loft was decently sized, and modestly furnished with a small table tucked in the corner of the kitchen. Over the bar sat an open living room with nothing but a soft leather couch and moderate sized TV. Along the walls though, large bookcases stood almost to the ceiling. Large windows showed the bright city below. Down the hall sat two bedrooms and bathroom. Scattered around the different rooms sat various canvas pieces, one instantly drawing the attention of the CEO. Taking advantage of my guest's turn of attention, I quickly swiped up an empty bowl sitting on the living room table that I'd used for breakfast that morning. Grabbing a few books from the shelf beside the couch, I dropped the bowl off and filled my kettle. Putting it on to boil, I directed myself once more to where the blue eyed man stood. The canvas had a woman on it. Long black hair was pulled back into a messy bun, her armor was dark, but had a distinctive blue sheen to it, in a similar manner to an oil slick. Under one arm was her helmet and in the other hand was a long broad sword, held at the ready. The look on the woman's face was that of determination, of readiness, and one without fear. Her bright, icy blue eyes stared off canvas, ready for whatever held itself beyond it, her face a mirror image of my own. "That's Palistine, a cleric I made a few years ago." I gave a soft smile as I remembered her. "She started out true neutral, but through a caring party by the time we finished honestly I have to say she was neutral good. Not a huge step, but one either way." I had to laugh a bit, remembering some of the adventures she'd been on. "A cleric. So a healer." Spoke Kaiba. I shrugged a bit. "Doesn't have to be a healer. I mean yes, usually the clerics are the healers, but not always. To be a cleric all you have to do is basically worship a god, any god, and be a titan in their name." I said, turning to put my books on the table. "These are fairly recent. I haven't bought the newest editions, they can be fairly pricey, but to my understanding they haven't changed many rules... I think spells run a bit different." That drew his attention to the small table. Looking over, I saw the younger Kaiba completely enamored with Deezer. "Mokuba, would you like some tea?" "Yes please!" "And you, sir?" The brunet grunted an answer, pulling over the Monster Manual. "That's the list of monsters and beasts in the game..." "I see that." Wincing a bit, I turned and started tending to the tea, assuming he'd let me know if he had questions. "What is an 'Alignment'?" He spoke a few moments later. "Every creature in the game has an alignment. Even gods." I looked around and found a small pad of paper I often used to make a grocery list. "It starts like this... You have Good, Neutral, and Evil." I split the chart into three. "And then on this side you have Lawful, Neutral, and Chaotic. Everyone falls into one of those. A couple examples would be umm... A policeman. That would be an example of a lawful good. You have a set of laws, be them good or bad, but you have your laws and you stick to them." "Like the Empire in Starwars?" Asked Mokuba. "That's actually lawful evil, but yes, same concept." "Their morals." Spoke the elder brother. "Right." "What would a true neutral do then?" "True neutral can hard to play, but essentially you are out for you, and your god's gain nothing else matters. Not companions, not civilians, nobody but you." I pulled over the player's handbook and flipped through before finding the page that went into more detail. "This is the page on alignments." As I set the tea to steep, I went down the hall to my bedroom, pulling out a thick binder similar to the one Damian had. Returning to the table, I put them down across from the elder Kaiba. "These are some more drawings." That peeked the younger one's interest. Feeling hungry, I started on a set of dumplings while the two flicked through different books. "Did you play _all_ of these?" Asked Mokuba. "No, some where favors for friends, or ideas for characters." I said, smiling down at my dog as he wandered over. "Did your friend find something else? That's okay, here." I tossed him a piece of chicken. The large, bat like ears shot forward. Deezer was a corgi. Uncommon here in Japan, but I'd found him as a puppy, small and shivering on the curb one night. Ever since he'd been my best friend and constant companion. "Oh... Mokuba, on that bookshelf about halfway down, there is a wooden box with a rose on the top. Would you grab it for me?" I asked, pointing to the shelf in question. "Sure!" Quickly finding what I spoke of, he came back to the table. "There's dice in there. Just to give you an idea of what you'd use." The box itself was about five by eight inches, but it was absolutely full of dice. "Wow! Look at them all." I smiled as I brought over the kettle and some cups. "I've been collecting a while. Each set usually comes with a 20- sided, a 12- sided, two 10- sided, an 8- sided, a 6- sided, and a 4- sided. Depending how much you'd like to spend they can come with more." "What do you use them for?" Asked the boy, rolling a twenty sided die. "That depends." I poured tea into each of the cups and brought over a small tray of add ins if they so decided. "Pass me the player's handbook." I pointed to the book and when he passed it over I flipped to the back. "This is one of my character sheets. On it is everything you'd need to know about him. Generally, the twenty sided die is for actions. So..." I took one of the round die. "If I wanted to... attack another character, or a monster, if I'm doing a malee attack, with a sword or some sort of hand held weapon, I would roll to see if I hit. Each monster has an armor class, which basically tells you how hard they are to hit. It's kind of complicated, but more or less, you roll to see if you are successful. So..." I rolled the die and groaned at the 1 that came forward. "What's that mean?" "1 and 20 are very important. A 1 is a critical fail. That means I would roll the fumble table." I chuckled, flicking to the page in the DM's guide. "So I would roll two die 10's..." I tossed them down, coming at a 63. "So I would..." I scanned down the list. "Throw my weapon at self or ally." "OH!" Laughed the boy, a large smile on his face. "But 20! That's something amazing. A natural 20 will automatically double any and all damage you deal. Critical hit." "That wouldn't be hard to replicate." Spoke the elder from the other side of the table. I thought about it a bit. "No, but the chance is part of the fun." I grinned at Mokuba. "There was once when Damian and I were fighting a Troll, he approached to do a punch and he rolled a 1, then rolled some whacky number on the fumble table. He went in for a punch and rubbed his shoulders instead. They married soon after. Such ugly children." The dark haired boy cackled, and I swear I even saw a ghost of a smirk on the other brother's face.

Eventually though, the younger would tire, and I offered the couch and tv controller to make him comfortable while the elder and I talked. He was a quick study, and by the end of the night, I was walking him through creating his own character, a dragon-born sorcerer. "Would you like to borrow these? I wouldn't mind, I haven't touched them in ages. It would give you more time to go over some of the finer details of the classes and some of the races." He looked at the books before him and nodded. "I think I've got my old case around here somewhere." I stood and headed for the bedroom, pausing as I came back out and saw the younger boy and the dog cuddled up on the couch, the blanket that had been laid over the back covering them comfortably. Giving a small smile at the sight, I returned to the table with a cheap metal suitcase, dented and bent in some places, but the seal and clips solid. "This is what I used to drag them around in." I said, placing the books inside, along with the binder holding my drawings. "It's funny... this all started over a few duel monster cards." I said, more to myself then anything. "Damian was just so curious and I was just happy he'd found something to be interested in again... He hasn't played a campaign with me in a long time... he said he got bored, but I think he just didn't want to admit to his friends he played dice games with his sister." I sighed and shut the case. "Then dad moved and he lost his friends...we just never played again." I smiled at the man, uncaring at the neutral stare I received back. "But your brother was kind enough to teach him. He is very special." I brushed my hair away from my face and lifted the handle before offering it to him. Heading over to the couch, I crouched and gently shook the sleeping boy. "Time to go." The boy stirred and sleepily sat up. "What time is it?" He asked groggily. "Late... way passed bed time. Yours and mine." He gave a crooked smile and looked to where his brother was getting his coat. "Can we come back next week Seto?" I blinked and moved to respond when the elder Kaiba spoke in my stead. "We'll see." "Okay... Thank you for having us Milo." I smiled and nodded, walking the brothers to the door. "Get home safe." With one last wave, I shut the door and sighed. Wow.

 **Thanks for reading!**


	6. Chapter 6

**I'm trying to keep the story going, so don't forget to review and favorite! BB**

Next week with so much on my mind, I would actually use it to my advantage, pressing through any troubles I'd had the week before and getting several reports to the CEO. I never received a response, but I didn't let that stop me. With nothing left to work on though, I was actually going to be able to leave at the normal time. Happy with the thought of actually being able to eat my dinner away from my desk, I started to gather my things to go, then I thought of the younger Kaiba. He'd be expecting me here. With one last thought, I reawakened my computer and typed out a simple email to the CEO.

'Dear Mr. Kaiba,

Please excuse my forwardness, but should your brother come looking, could you please tell him that I've finished my work for the day and headed home. After a bit of thought I added another line. You both are welcome should you have any questions on D&D or decide you need to see me before Monday.

Thank you,  
Milo Newman.

Happy with that, I sent it off, and returned my computer to sleep, completely content to leave it up to the CEO whether he would grace me with his presence.

I sat in an old paint stained t-shirt and pair of yoga pants on my floor, long black hair pulled back in a sloppy pony tail with my iPad in my lap as I stared up at the flat screen in my living room. A stylus in my hand drifted over the tablet reflecting instantly on the TV. American indie music drifted through my stereo, setting the mood as I finished the final touches on my creation. The delicious smell drifting from my kitchen showed dinner was almost done. I was just about to find a stopping point when a firm knock on my front door found it for me. A soft 'woof' left Deezer and I slowly stood, joints a bit sore from sitting for so long. Unhooking the chain, I unlocked the deadbolt and opened the door, instantly surprised to see the Kaiba brothers standing before me. The younger gave a wide smile while the older one seemed to take in my appearance. "Hey Milo! Hope you don't mind, we decided to stop in." Said Mokuba. "No, no, that's okay." I opened the door fully to allow them in. "You're just in time actually, I was just about to sit down to a late dinner. Are you hungry?" I asked kindly, shutting the door behind them. "Starving! Seto, are you hungry?" The elder just grunted and I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. "Make yourselves at home." I smiled at the warm greeting the boy gave Deezer, who's lack of tail didn't stop his backside from wagging. With the table about to be used, the older one set a familiar metal case on the floor beside the couch, pausing to look what was on the large TV screen. "Oh wow! That's so cool Milo!" Said Mokuba, catching sight of it as well. "Well thank you. I took the liberty of drawing up your brother's character that he made last week." I said, pulling down enough plates for everyone and pulling out a large dutch oven from the oven, allowing it to sit on the stove to cool a moment. The brothers seemed transfixed on the drawing. True to his character, I'd made it a dragon-born, but I had forgotten to ask what color, so I'd gone with my gut and picked blue. Light blue scales covered the snout and face before raising up over the crown of the skull and slowly darkening. Heavy robes covered the creature, and in one clawed hand held a book, and in the other a thick wooden staff, a bright blue orb at the top with a sharp static charge swirling on the inside. "I...didn't remember what color dragon you picked, so I went with blue, and blue dragons are usually thunder. If that's not right, I can remake it, it wouldn't be that hard..." "It's right." Spoke Kaiba. "Exactly like I pictured it actually..." "That's so cool! I wanna make a character!" Said Mokuba looking to me. "We'll get there, but first, food." I said, turning to remove the lid from the pot. "I... Hope you don't mind, I wasn't sure if you were coming, so I just went with something simple..." "Smells delicious!" Said the teen, coming to sit at the table. "Thank you, you're too kind." I'd made some baked salmon and rice, with a few potatoes and veggies to go with it. I set the pot at the table on a divot when I realized I'd made the table differently then I usually did with company, putting out forks and spoons instead of chopsticks. "Oh, I didn't even realize- I think I've got some chopsticks around here somewhere..." "This is fine, thank you." Said Kaiba, removing his suit jacket to set it on the back of the chair and sitting down across from his brother. "Would you like some tea? I'm sorry, I don't have any made just yet..." "Water is fine." A tiny smirk curled the elder Kaiba's lips. Apparently my antics were amusing. "It's okay Milo, you don't have to go to any trouble for us." Said Mokuba as I set down a set of glasses for them. "It's not that, I just... Don't entertain often." I said, getting a knife to cut the fish and a large serving spoon for the rice and veggies. "Help yourself, I'm just going to feed Deezer." I encouraged, getting a bit of wet food for the dog's dinner. As I finally sat down, I saw both brothers had gotten their serving. Cutting my own slice of fish, I pressed it with the sides on my plate. "So Milo, did you talk to Damian?" Asked the younger brother. I nodded. "I did. It wasn't long though, he had a test today and he wanted to do some last minute studying before his tutor got there." "He's home schooled." Spoke the elder Kaiba. I nodded once more. "My father moves around quite a bit, and it proved harder and harder to keep up with his studies. He's doing much better now that he's developed a routine and can study at his pace." "Do you have other siblings?" I was surprised to hear the question from the blue eyed man. I shook my head. "Not really. Some half-siblings on my mother's side, but Damian is my only full blooded sibling." "What's a half-sibling?" Asked Mokuba, drawing a glare from his brother. "We share a mother but not a father." I clarified. "Oh..." I gave a tiny smile. "Things are a bit different in the States." "Very informal." Said Kaiba, with a tiny frown. "It can be. Especially in the south." "Is that where you're from?" Asked the dark haired teen. "I was born in Maine. Damian was too, but we moved when he was little. I spent a lot of my time in Colorado growing up." "Which one is that?" Asked the boy, confused. "By the Rocky Mountains..." My stare turned distant a moment in remembrance. "It's beautiful in the winter. You could always tell it was going to snow when the mountains would turn white, and when it did it got so quiet... Snow muffles sound, so even living in the city when it would snow it was like everything stopped for a moment." I broke my trance and returned my attention to my plate. "Sounds amazing." "It was for the first few weeks. Then it was just cold." I said with a chuckle. "Usually a foot of snow... about twelve inches." I explained. "All winter?" "All winter, and most of spring. There were even some ski resorts that got snow year round." "Could you imagine Seto?" "I really can't. I went to Denver for a conference once, but that was in the summer." "Summer is just dry." I curled my nose. "Independence day was always a bummer. While the rest of the country is lighting off fireworks, most of us were under a burn warning." "Is that like your new year?" Asked Mokuba. "It's the day the US signed it's deceleration from Britain." Spoke Kaiba. "Oh...and you light fireworks?" "A lot of fireworks." I said with a grin, drawing the young man's laughter. "How did you end up in Japan?" Asked the elder brother. I looked over to see him looking my way, expecting an answer. "I'd always wanted to come here... Maybe it's the anime, or the manga, but I felt like this was where I'd needed to be, if I wanted to draw." I chuckled a bit bitterly. "Didn't realize that it takes a bit more then talent to get into the door with that sort of thing. So I sold a few paintings and took a few classes at the college. Got started in accounting." I shrugged. "It's not art, but hey, have to pay the bills somehow. Got a dog to feed." I looked over to the corgi snoozing on his bed in the corner of the living room, whispering as though it were a secret. "He eats so much."

I put away the extra food, and removed the plates in order to wipe down the table. When I turned to clean up the dishes, I found the elder Kaiba with his sleeves rolled up and his tie tucked over his shoulder. "Oh...You don't-" "It's okay...Here." He offered a wet plate and I instantly moved to dry it with a towel, setting it in the rack to be put away later. Working through our simple motions, I found I was quite touched by the man's manners. Obviously he had someone who normally did this for him, but that didn't stop him. About halfway through our set, my phone rang from the other room, causing us to pause. "It's alright, I'll call them back later." I dismissed. It rang for a short while before chirping, showing a voice mail. As we finished the last of the dinner plates it rang once more but this time I completely ignored it. When it came time for ceramic pot, I spoke up, a small smile on my face. "Actually, that one is what we would call in America a 'Soak Plate'." I gently placed it at the bottom of the sink and filled it with soapy water. "Definitely a soak plate, best leave that overnight, make sure it gets good and clean." I said, giving a nod of confirmation. A low rumble of a chuckle left the man, taking me by surprise. "Who am I to question American tradition?" Spoke Kaiba. "That's the spirit." I gave him a towel to dry his hands with. While we'd been busy with the dishes, Mokuba had lifted the heavy case onto the table and had moved about unpacking it. "Alright! Thank you! Makes it so much easier when I have help." I said kindly as I returned to my seat, pulling forward the player's handbook. Something instantly caught my attention though. "Wait..." I looked over the cover, and felt my brows pin in confusion. Where once there had been dips and dents in the cover it was now smooth. A broken corner was now there. The binding that had at one point been taped back together with packing tape was smooth and fresh. Instantly I flipped open the cover and instead of my sloppy hand reading 'This book belongs too...' It was blank. "This isn't my book." "I took the liberty of getting an up to date set of books..." Spoke the elder brother, taking his seat. "Yours were beginning to turn fragile." I cracked a little smile. "Years of adventure... did you save them or..." "They're in there." I nearly sighed as I was handed the old hardbacks, smiling a bit as I looked down at them. "These will finally get to retire then." I chuckled, flicking through the battered pages before standing and moving to put them back into the bookshelf where they belonged. "Maybe I'll send them to Damian. He'll enjoy that. I've been meaning to send him a care package." I said as I sat back down. "You should send him some cards, he said he was having trouble finding them." Said Mokuba. "That's a good idea. Maybe that's what I'll do."

 **Thank you!**


	7. Chapter 7

**I have no idea why the font's decided to change. I guess I'll just go with it. If you spot any large formatting or grammatical errors, please let me know! Thanks. BB**

Once again, mine and the elder Kaiba's stamina outlasted the younger brother's. I stretched from where I'd been sitting at the table. The man and I had been shooting ideas back and forth, trying to work the kinks out of turning the long-time table top game into something digital without losing the charm of the original. "What if you used like...a dial?" I said, head on my hand. "A dial." "Like...this." I laid my iPad on the table and quickly scribbled an arched bar. One end I colored red and the other green, shading it a yellow in the center. "If you hit red, it would be like...a critical fail, where if you hit green, it would be like a critical hit." His brows lifted as he looked at my scribble. "That's an option. What's to stop a player from getting skilled enough to master it?" I shrugged. "Maybe change the speed depending on the difficulty of the task?" He hummed a bit and I leaned back in my chair in a stretch. "All this thinking has me all cooped up, I'm going to get a bit of fresh air..." I stood, joints popping a bit back into their proper places as I moved around the couch where the boy and pooch once again slept, heading to one of the panes of glass and grabbing a handle dipped into the frame. Softly sliding it open, I stepped out to the balcony attached, taking a deep breath of fresh air. It was chilly, but the cool air felt good on my skin. The sound of the door softly sliding shut had me turning to see the CEO having joined me. "I was being polite, but I came to support my bad habit." I said with a small smile as I lifted the lid off a flower pot to show an ash tray with a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. "Didn't strike me as a smoker." I gave a tiny shrug as I lit the end of one and put them back into the pot. "Left over habit really... used to smoke like a chimney way back when. Quit a few years ago." I leaned on the rail of the balcony, eyes out to the broad, lit city below. We were quiet a moment before I spoke. "Isn't it just... beautiful? Nothing to a pent house suite I'm sure, but still..." A soft snort left him as he leaned on the rail with me. "It is nice... Kind of surprised, usually these kinds of places can cost someone quite a bit." I chuckled. "I got a nice deal. The landlord had been trying to rent it out for months until I stumbled across it." "That's surprising." "Not really. Some old lady died in there." His gaze snapped over and I cracked a grin as I took a drag off the cigarette. "Died of old age to my understanding, just went to bed one day and didn't wake up. I guess that's a big deal here, he was desperate to let me have it." I chuckled, flicking the ash. "And you just...moved in." "He cleaned it! It was perfect when I moved in!" I said, tone betraying my humor in the whole situation. "To be honest there's some places I lived with my mother that was a _whole_ lot worse. You'd be hard pressed finding somewhere somebody _didn't_ die in." He snorted and I heard that low chuckle once more. "If it saves a penny right?" "Well yea." I pressed the cigarette into the pot, putting it out before putting the lid back on. "I love it here... In Domino I mean... I think Damian would too." "Has he not visited?" I shook my head, smile slowly fading. "My Dad and I... I don't know, we don't get along." "That's unfortunate." "I earned it." I said softly. "I made some... poor choices before I came here. While I view coming here as a fresh start... He doesn't. He's only looking out for Damian, but... I don't know what to do, you know? I'm not sure how to get back into his good graces." I leaned my head on the heel of my hand, eyes still out over the city. "These things take time." "I know... I just miss him so much. We spent most of our childhood apart. I was old enough to miss him...he didn't know who I was..." I shrugged. "When I turned 16, I ran away from my mother and stayed with Dad a while, that's when we bonded. Unfortunately, things just kind of caught up with me. So I left. I wasn't what Damian deserved, and I knew it. We still talked though, obviously." I sighed, and for a while he didn't respond. "Atonement... is a hard road." He said, breaking the silence. "There's been times in my climb to the top of Kaiba Corp that I wasn't sure I was good enough for Mokuba either. Decisions that, looking back I know I should have handled differently...but you can't do anything about that." His gaze flicked to me. "There's nothing you can do about what you've done, but... you can use what you've learned in those difficult times to make better decisions in the future. Through that, you get the trust back." I gave a soft smile to the man. "Thank you."

As we stepped back inside, I found the shrill sound of my cell phone had stirred the younger Kaiba from his sleep. Reaching the end table where it sat, I picked it up and placed it to my ear. "Hello?" _"_ _Jesus Milo, I've been trying to get a hold of you for hours."_ I flinched at the sound of my father's disapproving tone. "I'm sorry, I've had guests over... What's wrong? Is it Damian?" _"_ _No."_ "Then what..." _"_ _Your mother passed away last night."_ For a moment, I wasn't sure I'd heard correctly. "What- I mean- I don't understand... Does Damian know?" _"_ _No. I don't want to upset him."_ "Upset him? He has a right to know..." _"_ _That's not what I called to discuss."_ "Then what..." _"_ _The service is Saturday."_ "Saturday- Tomorrow?" _"_ _No."_ Then I realized they were a day behind. "Oh...Okay, I'll get a bag packed, just... can you hold the service at least? I mean, you're taking care of it-" _"_ _It's at two in Denver."_ "But I'm not sure if I can-" _"_ _I've done enough as it is Milo. This_ _should_ _be your responsibility."_ "I know but-" _"_ _Goodbye Milo."_ "Wait but-" The call clicked and I swallowed the lump in my throat. "But..." I sank down on the end of the couch, staring at the dark phone. "Milo?" The sleepy eyed Mokuba looked my way, concern clear on his face. "Are you okay?" "I um... I need to go back to the States for a little while, my mother passed..." I looked to the elder Kaiba. "I may not be into work next week..." He gave a small nod and looked to his brother, who was getting up and starting to get his things together. "Kaiba Corp has full funeral leave. I'll put it in." Said the brunet, shrugging into his coat. "Thank you..." I swallowed another lump as I looked at Deezer, who was confused and unsure of why his master was so upset. "Don't suppose Kaiba Corp covers dog sitters..." I felt a hiccup slip through and coughed, leaning down to rub my face with my hands, desperate to stop my chin from trembling and my eyes from burning. "Seto..." A soft sigh could be heard before the elder brother spoke up. "Alright..." The younger brother came over and gently wrapped an arm around my shoulders. "I'll watch him for you Milo." I looked over, and saw genuine care in the boy's eyes. "I couldn't ask you to do that..." "But I'm your friend, and friends do stuff for friends when they need it." I swallowed once more. "You don't mind?" He shook his head. "Thank you." I pulled the boy into a uncertain embrace, but the moment I felt him squeeze back, I felt relief. Pulling back as tears started to build, I wiped my eyes. "I'll um... I'll leave my key with the door man, and if you could just come by in the morning or at night, let him out and throw some food in his bowl, he'll be okay. I'll only be a few days..." "Take as long as you need, okay? Here." He reached down to my phone and typed in a few numbers. "That's my number, text me before you leave so I have yours okay?" I nodded. "Okay." He handed me my phone and stood. I looked up at the brothers genuinely thankful for them. "Thank you..." They nodded and showed themselves out.

 **This is a work in progress! Don't forget to favorite and review!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Thank you for the first review and follow! My writing for now, is far ahead of the publishing, so as long as that stays I'll be publishing every day. BB**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh or it's characters.**

A caffeine fueled flight packed with anxiety and fear landed me in Denver, grabbing a cab I pulled up to a quiet cemetery. Rain splattered the ground in thick, hard splats as I ran up in my torn and painted jeans and flannel button up. For all my hurry though, there sat only a pair among the rows of chairs, a dark umbrella over them. A broad shouldered man sat stiffly, eyes on me as I slowed to a stop before him. He wore a dark suit, his thick brown hair brushed back, with a pair of sharp jade eyes looking at me with so much disappointment. Dropping down to the chair beside him, I slouched. "What happened..." "An over dose to my understanding." We were silent, the sound of the rain falling almost deafening. "Does Damian know?" "No." A sharp sting touched my heart. "He didn't know her Milo. Why cause him any pain?" My lip trembled. "But she was his _mother_." "Not for a long time." He stood and looked down to me. "Not like she was to you." I flinched as if physically slapped. His footfalls where silent in the wet grass as he left me there, cold and alone.

The bar was warm, and so was the liquor. Resting in my stomach like a hot soup, it felt good against the dampness of my clothes. Catching sight of myself in the mirror behind the bar I took another sip, looking something akin to a drowned rat. My bag sat between my feet, it's strap looped around my foot to stop anyone from dashing with it. I'd found this bar, and the hotel attached to it within a mile's walk of the cemetery, and while I'd gotten a strange look from the bartender as I squished down on the stool, he hadn't said anything. Grief and relief dug at my chest like a wound. "Milo?" I turned to see a vaguely familiar face looking my way. Trying to put a name to it, he spoke before I could. "It's me, Tony... Gretchen and Rob's kid..." I squinted. Anthony, one of my many half-siblings. Giving a grunt of greeting, I looked back to my drink. "Didn't see you at the service..." He said, inviting himself to the seat beside me. "That's me, day late, dollar short." I swallowed the last of my drink. "Just one big, fat, fucking disappointment." At first he didn't say anything. "Look... I don't know what kind of mother she was to you..." My eyes snapped back to him, a glare sharp as he spoke. "But I think we need something a bit stronger then cheap bourbon." He looked to me, face grim. "If you're interested."

Grief had a way of knocking people down. Stubborn, or strong willed usually managed this in reasonable, legal ways. I was neither of those things. Line after line disappeared up my nostril in a week long binge of highs and lows. Rage and hurt burned the inside of my nose as I chased away my mother's memory with a string of narcotics. When my dollars got low, and the pressing need to return home loomed, I fueled myself up and spent 12 hours scribbling on my iPad on a cramped plane. Half assed attempts at focusing were deleted, or left for myself once I'd cleared my head. I arrived back home in the early hours of the morning. Deezer was excited, but for some reason, wouldn't come to me, instead keeping to his dog bed. Unable to sleep, I flicked through my tv stations over and over, and then, finally, I fell.

It didn't take long for the drug to slowly start leaving my body. Hard chills and tremors woke me from my slumber. Sweat clung to my forehead in a thick sheen. Wrapped in my duvet from the bedroom, I tried to sleep, powering through what I knew would be a hard few days. It was only the sound of my door opening was followed by a voice. "Milo?" I forced myself awake, looking at the form in the hall. Mokuba. "I didn't know you were back... Are you okay?" His face showed his concern, worry written clear as day. "I'm okay... it was raining back home... think I spent a bit too much time out in the cold..." Even I didn't believe it. "I'm gonna call an ambulance... you look really sick." "No! No, I'm okay, really." He paused and looked at me, a clear frown on his lips. "Something's wrong with you Milo." "It'll pass, I swear, I'm fine..." "Alright... but I'm calling Seto." "What, no, I'm okay." "Make a choice Milo." Said the boy, and there, I saw it. He looked just like his brother. "Alright... But I'm okay." I listened to him call the elder Kaiba, and with nothing left but to await my fate, I stayed where I was, listening to the boy move around in the kitchen, feeding Deezer and bringing me some tea. I must have fallen back into slumber once more because it was only the feeling of cold fingers on my heated face that would draw open my eyes once more. Sharp, calculating blue eyes where staring down at me, studying me. He grabbed my chin, and I sluggishly stared at him. This time the suit was gray, with a dark blue shirt below. Does this man have a designer? He looked me up and down and scoffed, shaking his head as he released my chin. "She'll be fine." "You sure?" Asked the younger boy. "Probably the jet lag. I really don't have time for this Mokuba." "But Seto..." The elder looked over to his brother and sighed. "Fine, but it's getting late. Go home, I'll stay." The taller man stepped away and headed for the table, setting his briefcase down and popping it open. "Are you sure?" "It's fine, I have a few things to get done anyway." "Okay... let me know." I heard the boy step out and lock the door and sighed, losing myself once more to unconsciousness. A strong wave of nausea would be what would wake me, forcing me out of my blanket cocoon. Why was I so hot? The hot feeling from my body only caused the nausea to feel worse. Airing on the side of caution, I picked the washroom for my destination. My head spun as I stood, making my path harder then intended. Catching myself on the rug, I slammed to the floor, a deep groan leaving me. A heavy sigh came from the kitchen before the sound of shoes on the tiles trailed out to where I laid. A firm grip wrapped on my shoulder, helping me sit up. "What have you done?" He muttered, crouched beside me as I slowly regained myself. "I'm sick... please I don't want to make you-" "Stop..." His sharp tone had me still instantly. He leaned over and grabbed a trash can from where it sat at the end of the couch. "You and I both know you're not contagious." "Then go home." I grunted, giving a curled lip at his image. "I'm grieving." "You're not grieving. You're detoxing." He snapped. We both glared at the other before he stood. "Don't move." I didn't want too, the floor was cool, and easing the spins. "You're going to feel like shit for a few days. Drink this." He handed me the tea the younger brother had prepared, reheated in the microwave. "I'm fine." "I don't have time to argue with you Milo. Drink it." "Why do you care? What difference is it to you?" I growled. "What difference does _any_ of it make?" "I am protecting an asset to my company." "What asset? What good am I to you? You have your books, you have endless resources at your disposal, what is _so_ important the all amazing Kaiba Seto has to babysit me? What is so _fucking_ important about me that cannot be replaced?" I snapped, anger burning in my stomach. Hard fingers wrapped around my wrist and yanked me towards the wall closest to us, eyes searing into mine. " _That._ " I looked up to see my canvas of Palestine. " _That_ did not just appear. _That_ is a part of you. Every trait you poured into this work is _you_." "You don't know me! You have no idea-" "I have _every idea_." His voice was cold, and sent a chill down my spine. "The minute I walked in to that look on your face, I _knew_ what you were going through." "How-" "Because I did it _too_." He growled. I met those icy eyes and nearly felt sick again. I knew he knew. "You _will_ get through this. And I'm going to help you." "Why..." Meant to be firm, it barely came out a whisper. "Because I am Kaiba Seto, and I do what I want."

For hours we sat in silence, the only break being the occasional hard dry heave from me, and the click of computer keys from him. As the darkness started to ebb from the horizon, I slowly started to stand. Leaving my blanket fortress, I made my way to the balcony. The chill of the early morning brushed over my sweat slick skin, cooling it almost instantly. Shutting my eyes a bit at the slight breeze, I only reopened them at the feeling of another beside me. This was a Kaiba Seto I hadn't seen. His hair was tousled, his tie loosened, and his shirt was untucked wrinkled from hours of sitting in the same position. Reaching a hand down I opened the pot, pulling out a crumpled pack of cigarettes. Bringing one out, I struggled to light the butane lighter. No sooner had I lit the end when sly fingers plucked it from my lips. Expecting a scolding, I looked over to see the man bring it to his mouth. Lifting a brow, but saying nothing, I brought out another. For a long time we were quiet, just watching the sun rise. Finally, as I stared at the blazing light emerge, I spoke. "She was an _awful_ mother." My lip curled in distaste. "She blamed me for Dad leaving..." I gave a bitter snort. "If I had been a better kid, a better _daughter_... When I was twelve, I burned off the tips of my fingers on the stove." I turned over the hand holding my cigarette. "She told me if I wasn't such a shitty cook I wouldn't have done it." I turned the hand back to take a hit off the tobacco. "After a while I just ignored her... then she started bringing work home with her... When she got tired of my questions, she stopped bringing men home, but the rest of it..." I let out a bark of shaky laughter. "You could line a pharmacy with half of what she brought home... Buy houses that probably look like _yours_ with the amount of money she smoked away..." I pressed my head into my arm, still so exhausted. "So...I left... I left and went running to Dad... but when I was there... _fuck_ it's like I couldn't just be happy!" The tobacco's filter burned my fingers and I tossed it carelessly over the building side. "The things I did... What I exposed my little brother too..." Hurt bubbled in my stomach, causing my eyes to burn and my throat to swell. Taking a deep breath, I felt a tiny sob escape. "And it made me realize just what I was. I was just like her." Tears leaked from my eyes and I brought my hands up to press them away. Taking a shaky deep breath, I slowly let it out. "I don't understand." I heard him flick the butt of his cigarette away. "What?" I cleared my throat to shake away the last of the tears. "Why you feel that way." I looked over, but his stare was at the growing sun. "I... Look at me." He gave a clear look of irritation. "We all make mistakes Milo... You know that." "But-" "Where I notice a difference...is here...now." He looked to me and I was taken aback by the light reflecting in those eyes. "You're pain... your fears. You faced them. You came here to be an artist, to make a life that both you and your brother can gain from. People like that, like your mother... they're running, scared that if they stop to face what they've done they'll face the consequences." I looked away. "I ran here..." "You went back...knowing what you'd find there." When I didn't answer he continued. "If you want to get over this... You need to face what you've done Milo, and own up to it. Your mother isn't in control of you anymore, and it's time to stop blaming her. She's gone." A hard gasping sob left my throat, and hot tears poured from my eyes once more. Dropping my head to my hands, I let out my sorrow. She was finally gone, and it felt like I could finally breathe.

When I awoke next, I was curled up in bed, duvet thrown over my form. A quick inspection of the apartment found me alone, Deezer happily curled up in the corner of the room with what looked like a new rawhide bone. A piece of paper sat beside the coffee pot, on it in a neat script was a simple message.

You return to work tomorrow at 9 AM. Don't be late.

SK

Looking over to the dog gnawing happily on his bed, I raised a brow. "That boy spoiled you rotten, didn't he?" My only response was a low, content grunt as the animal chewed up a bite.

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	9. Chapter 9

**Not sure why the font keeps changing. I'll figure it out eventually! This is a work in progress so don't forget to sub and favorite! Thank you! BB**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh or it's characters.**

To say there was a backlog on my desk was an understatement. Files that should have just been diverted to another department were just left stagnant at my desk. Forcing myself to set goals, and working a fixed number a day did put a dent in the pile, but come Friday I still had a large stack. I only noticed how late it was when a familiar thicket of dark black locks poked it's head around the corner of the hall. "Hey Milo! Feeling better?" I looked over, shocked out of my stupor. "Hey Mokuba... Wow, what time is it?" I looked at the clock to see it almost midnight. "Damian have to study?" He asked curiously. "I guess... normally he calls me first thing." I shrugged it off. "Probably for the better... I still have a lot of work to do from my time off." I stacked a set of files and held them out. "Would you mind running these to your brother? I normally email them but with so many..." "Sure, but why not take a break? I brought plenty." He lifted a heavy take out bag. "No, that's okay..." "Come on! You've fed us, we owe you! Plus Seto and I can't cook, so I don't even want to think about what would happen if we tried to cook for you!" The mental picture of the icy CEO in an apron holding a burnt dish had a tiny smirk on my face. "It's just dinner, and if you want afterwords you can go right back to work." Said the boy. A set of doe eyes glittered at me from over the monitor. A sigh escaped me. "Alright... but _just_ dinner, no fortune cookies." "You got it!" Said the boy, grin wide and victorious. Following the boy back to the locked office, he quickly opened it up and swung open the door. "Seto! Look who I found!" I gave a shy smile to the CEO as he looked up from the computer screen. "There you are. I was wondering if you had gotten kidnapped again." "Kidnapped." I said, looking to the younger with a clear look of curiosity. "Once! Well- Twic- Well..." "And then who would I send out for take out?" The executive's humor, however dark was a pleasant surprise. The tall man stood, and stretched a bit before coming around towards the couch and chairs. "Hope you like Thai." He said as he passed, urging me to follow as the brothers sat down.

"You are... _incredibly_ bad at that." Said Kaiba, a smirk on his lips as he watched me struggle with the chopsticks. "There's a reason I have forks in my drawers, okay?" I grunted, loosing my noodles into the box once more. "It's an art. You're good at that right?" Said Mokuba, a giggle in his tone. "Alright, it's all fun and games until one of these ends up somewhere it shouldn't." I grumbled. "Easy." Said the elder Kaiba, setting his box down and leaning over the arm of the sofa and signaling me closer. "You're holding it too tight, here." His large hands laid over mine and I suddenly felt a rush of blood to my ears. Forcing myself to focus on what he was saying, I watched avidly. "Hold that one like...that. This one sits like this." "How do I move it?" "Use your thumb and index finger." Said Mokuba. "Oh... Okay." The blue eyed man leaned back and I picked up a piece of chicken and successfully made it to my mouth. "Congratulations, you can now feed yourself." "Apparently not soon enough." I said, setting down the box and looking at a stain on my blouse. "There's a bathroom through there." Offered the younger brother, pointing to the other set of doors in the office. "Thanks." I said, standing and heading through them. Walking inside there was a washroom easily the size of my bedroom, holding everything from a shower to an armoire. I couldn't help but feel like it was a bit lavish, but what kind of bowl the CEO did his business in made no difference to me. Removing the shirt, I dabbed the stain with water and a bit of hand soap. In the end I just ended up frustrated. Rather then replace the stained and now wet shirt, I looked over the undershirt. It wasn't very revealing. Meant to cover up cleavage, it tapered into a high-v, but exposed several tattoos that littered over my shoulders. Normally they stopped just shy of my elbows, but weren't explicit or graphic. One side held a knight on horseback shield in one hand and sword drawn, while on the other side showed an image of a cluster of dice held in the tail of a dragon, guarding them like it's horde. Both were fairly simple, but well done and obviously done with care. Stepping back out to the office, I looked at the shirt with a face of irritation. "Probably a lost cause. Oh well." I looked up to see the younger brother gone. "Where did he get off too?" "He said something about not staying for cookies and ran off." Said Kaiba, still seated on the couch but with one of the many files I'd brought in with me in his lap. "What is this." He grunted, flicking under my main report. "I don't know, what is it." "Something about a new maintenance staff." "We hired a new company. Rumor has it the old guys where stealing post-its from the supply closets." I returned to my chair and picked up my box, fumbling a bit with the sticks until I regained my grip. "They were awful anyway. It took them two weeks to replace the toner when I was in accounting." I took a bite and was once again filled with pleasure as I managed to make it into my mouth. "So why hasn't anyone said anything before now?" "They did. That's why we're getting the new guys. You just had to okay it. You did that a couple weeks ago. That's the information on the new people. Background checks, job history, and I sat down with the owner earlier this week." He paused and looked over. "When did you have time to do that?" "Lunch. I met him at the cafe across the street." "Why?" I shrugged. "I just wanted to make sure he was up for it. It's a big building, and we can get pretty needy." "Hm." He studied the file once more and I passed my time while I ate staring at the city through the windows. "You like him?" "Hmm?" "The new owner." "Oh, yea." I nodded, leaning to grab a napkin and wipe my lips. "He's owned his own business a while, he just left a contract with Nokia for their building downtown, it was just too much for his crew, but he seemed very sure they could handle it." "Okay." He reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out a pen, scribbling a signature at the bottom. "What's this one?" He asked, holding out the old one and opening the next. "That one's to repair the parking garage..."

A yawn broke through just as the sun was rising, but I think I had just about finished the back work. Instead of drawing up a summery, the CEO told me to bring in the files and he would work through them with me. "Thank you! I don't know if I would have gotten through them if you hadn't helped." I said to the blue eyed man as we cleared the files away to be put into motion. "It did seem a bit... endless." He muttered, tossing a stray onto the 'outgoing' box on his desk. "That's what you do all day?" I shrugged in response. "It pays the bills." "Hm." I gathered my things and smiled. "Okay, well I'll see you next week." I started for the office door when he looked up. "Just use my lift. I'm going down anyway." "My parking spot is closer to the public one. Thank you though." I said with a grateful smile. "Then let me walk you down." "No, that's okay-" He held the door open, briefcase in one hand and jacket thrown over his arm. "But you're Kaiba Seto so..." He just smirked as he followed me to my desk, waiting while I gathered my purse and jacket. It wasn't until we reached the lift did he speak again. "How are you feeling?" The concerned question almost seemed out of place coming from him. "Alright I guess... I _feel_ better." I sighed and leaned against the railing. "But..." He pressed, brows lifted expectantly. "There's been some...calls." He didn't respond and I looked at the shining metallic doors. "Apparently my Mother owed several people a great deal of money." The executive locked up, and I felt the atmosphere drop in the confined space. "So let me guess. You need help." His tone was almost bitter and I felt my brows pin in confusion. "What?" "You want _my_ help to clear your debt." He growled, stare sharp as he looked to me. The elevator opened to show the wide expense of a parking garage. He must have text his driver because the man was waiting by the doors. "I didn't ask for your _money_." I snapped. "I genuinely thought you gave a shit." I stepped out and gave a sharp and pointed bow. "Have a good night _sir._ " I stepped around the idling car towards my own a short distance away, the hurt in my stomach a bit bigger then it ought to be.


	10. Chapter 10

**Thank you for everyone reading, it makes me feel good to look at the visitors and see the number of visitors slowly going up. Please favorite and review! BB**

 **I don't own Yugioh or it's characters.**

"Dad please... I won't say anything, I swear." I begged, eyes on the man on the screen. Another week had passed without word from Damian, and when he didn't answer my video call I'd braved a call to my father. _"_ _We've got enough going on right now Milo."_ "Then _tell_ me so I can help." _"_ _We're moving."_ A frown came over my lips. "Why." _"_ _Because I said so."_ "That's not good enough any more." I leaned forward and zeroed in on the lens. "He's not just your son. He's my brother." _"_ _You aren't his parent."_ "I'm his sister!" _"_ _Not enough."_ I felt anger swell in my chest. "And who's fault is that?! You left me with her!" Shock layered his face and I felt compelled to continue. "You picked him! You _knew_ her and you still left me with her! _You_ are just as much to blame with how I turned out as she is!" _"_ _I fought for you Milo!"_ "Not enough." We were in a stalemate, and we knew it. He sighed and sagged back against the battered office chair he sat in. _"_ _There's been some... phone calls."_ "Asking for money." He nodded. "I'm getting them too... I've been trying to do something about it, but the trip back tapped me out..." _"_ _I'm the same way right now with the funeral."_ We sat silent a moment before I spoke up. "I'll get it... I'll figure it out, I promise. Please. Don't move him again." _"_ _I may not have a choice this time, Milo. The things these men are saying worry me."_ "So send him here... I can _protect_ him here. You _know_ I will." His face immediately closed up and I knew the answer before he spoke it. "It's for Damian's well being! He could actually go to school here." _"_ _You know my position on this."_ "So I don't get a say at _all_?" I gathered my long dark locks in my hands and pulled, frustrated. "Give me _something_. I don't know what to do anymore!" I snapped. We were silent a long moment before his eyes drifted over my shoulder. Looking back I saw the Kaiba brothers, standing uncomfortably. _"_ _You can call him next week. I'll make sure he answers."_ "Fine..." The line clicked shut and I pressed the button to power off the TV, throwing the remote a bit harder then needed back to the couch. "You could have knocked." "You could have answered." Spoke the older brother. "We heard yelling, so we got worried..." Said the dark haired teen, holding up the key given to them a few weeks back. Staring at it, I debated taking it before sighing. "Sorry... I'm a bit on edge right now... How about some tea?" I said, moving back to my more gentle nature. Not waiting for their response, I headed for the kitchen. I was just putting the kettle on when I heard the younger Kaiba. "Milo? Would you mind if I took Deezer out?" "No, he's probably due anyway. You know where the leash is." A moment later I heard the click of the door as the pair left. The tension was thick between me and the brunet as he pulled a few things out of his suitcase. "I am sorry for what I said to you last week... It just... upset me that you would think I was after your money." "Are you?" "No. I don't want your money..." I gave a slight snort. "Probably wouldn't know what to do with it if I had it." I set out a few tuna rolls I'd made up the day before as a snack. "I guess what upset me the most is... and I hope I'm not too forward, but I sort of thought we were friends, you know?" He was quiet a moment as he set up his laptop. "I guess I might have over reacted." He said softly. "I just assumed when money was brought up..." I set down the tea for him and sat down with my own cup. "I can see how that might happen... but I mean it. I don't want your money Kaiba..." He moved the mouse around and connected to my wireless. "Seto." I looked up to find those bright eyes locked on the screen. "You can call me Seto. But not at work." I snorted. "Kiko would have a hay day with that." That drew his attention and I smirked. "Oh honey, you didn't think your business was yours did you? She's got a bigger mouth then Monica Lewinsky." His brows pinned in what could only be confusion. "That was a joke about- It's not important. Kiko's a gossip hound, I would have thought you knew." "No. I wasn't aware." "Oh... Oops." He snorted and a smirk curled his lips. "Don't care for her much?" "She drives me nuts. So snooty." I turned to cross my legs and press my hands over them, face doing a sad imitation of the woman. "Kaiba _-sama_ does _not_ have time for this kind of thing! That's _your_ job to sort through the riff-raff!" A low rumble left him as his attention returned to the computer. "She loves rubbing those little add ons in my face." "The honorifics?" "If that's what you call them. We don't really have those." He shook his head. "It's the same as 'Mr. or Mrs.' in English." "She gets really bent out of shape when I call you Mister." I grinned a bit. "I _might_ be doing it on purpose."

"So, not to be rude, but what brings you over this time? Or is my place just the place to be on Friday nights?" I said with a tiny smile as I started on something simple for dinner. "I wanted you to draw something." Said Seto, who had taken a break from his computer to give me his full attention. "What kind of something?" "Me." My brows lifted and he smirked a bit. "It's to give to the digital designers to see if we can get started ironing out the transition from 2-D to virtual reality." "Why not just scan you?" I looked over as I stirred a bit of curry. "If you're going to reality why not base off of reality?" "Because you can't scan monsters." "If we can get the image of Seto perfect, then we can use the same technique to draw the monsters in the game, and know they'll come out right." Said Mokuba, coming to sit at the table with his brother. "People are the hardest to replicate... I think I get it." "That and nobody knows Seto like Seto." Said Mokuba with a grin. "That means he can make sure it's completely right." I nodded as I brought over the curry and rice, a piece of grilled chicken to the side for each of us. "Alright... I'll get started after dinner. I'm at your disposal."

The blue eyed man sighed and a curt 'Shh.' Left my lips, completely lost in my endeavor. I poured my frustration, and hurt into matching the shade of his eyes. I used my anger to match the way his hair came down over his ears. I poured my heart into that drawing, and when I was finally done, I felt a weight lift from me. It was beautiful, and I felt almost sad to be done with it. "Can I see?" He asked softly. Nodding slowly, I passed my iPad across the table to where he sat. I'd tried to come as close to 3-D as I could without actually rendering it as such. You could turn the drawing to gain new perspectives, but it was still a flat drawing. His silence caused my nervousness to grow. "Is it... It's okay?" "It's amazing." He looked to me. "Can you do more of this?" "Sure... What ever you need really, just give me a bit of time to do it." "I have a set of VR techs that will do the clean up and virtual rendition. I want you to give them the base to work with." "Okay..." "Can you make a full profile?" I nodded. "Do that." He pressed the iPad back and I nodded once more, flicking to a clean sheet with a wide yawn. "But... not tonight..." I looked up once more. "I'm sorry. Sometimes I get a bit impatient with new games..." He said, looking to where once again Mokuba was asleep on my couch, dog at his feet. I lifted my feet into my chair and hugged my knees. "I know the feeling." I sighed. "But rushing things usually has a nasty habit of screwing them up." "Remarkably well." Said Seto, leaning back and stretching his arms up and behind his head, tilting his chair back a bit on it's back legs. "Patience has a way of paying off though." My brow lifted. "Kaiba Corp wouldn't be what it is if I hadn't done it the way I have." "But not to boast." I said, tiny smirk in place. What I could only call a smug grin came to his lips. "But not to boast." I chuckle left me as I uncurled my form, ready for a warm cup of tea. Seeing his cup empty I went to pick it up, but my thumb seemed locked, a sharp pain running up my forearm. A wince curled my lip as the cup dropped back to the table. "Shit! I'm sorry." I said, going to right it. "It's alright, it was empty..." He rocked his chair down and that sharp stare looked at the arm critically. "Hand cramp." I said with a bit of a forced grin, picking the cup up with the fingers of my other hand, I turned to set it on the counter. "That's carpal tunnel." He said, matter-of-factly. "Really. Kaiba Corp do Medical Degrees now?" I said with a smirk as I looked over. He just lifted his hands and wiggled his fingers. "Well, honestly, it wouldn't surprise me." I rotated my wrist a bit, and ran my hands under some warm water. "I'll be alright though, it's not that bad." Regaining the feeling back in my fingers, I easily poured the tea. "It gets worse." "When you work 16 hours a day, yea, that happens." I said, giving a pointed look his way. He gave a grunt and looked away, his stare turning to the boy on the couch. Pouring him a fresh cup I set it before him. "You also, use a pen and handle paper." His brow lifted as he looked back. "Isn't that neat? I learned it from this drug dealer in Boulder." I said with a grin. "It's weird." "No it's _not._ Come on, let me see." He gave me a clear look of skepticism before reluctantly giving me his hand. I looked down at it, and ran a finger over the callous on his middle digit. "That's from a pen... Mine's really big." I said, rubbing my own bump with my fingers. "Then there's this one... you've worn the tip of your fingers." I said, brushing my thumb over the ends. "Turning pages or cards..." I ran my fingers down and followed a hard patch of skin across his palm. "That's from your briefcase... and that's where your hands rest on your keyboard..." I hit his wrist and paused. "That's been broken..." He tugged the arm from my grip and wrapped his hands around his cup. "Street tricks." "Well yea, it was the streets." I responded, letting the moment drop. The rest of the evening though it stayed in my mind, and well into the next day after they had left. I remembered that an article had mentioned that the brothers were adopted into the empire, had their time before been the cause? I wasn't sure. Whatever the reason, the elder brother seemed pretty intent to drop it. Sighing over the city below, I shivered and looked up as a snowflake slowly dropped down. Looks like Winter was early.


	11. Chapter 11

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The next morning most of the city was brushing off a foot of snow from their cars. The streets were slow to clear and those that were open were heavy with traffic. I, was freezing. The storm had knocked out my power, and the power to the rest of the block. "Good lord!" I squealed, diving into my blankets, but only finding more cold. Deezer was huddled under my pillows, peeking out from a mountain of fluffy bundles. Shoving on the thickest pair of socks I owned, I quickly found out where the heat had gone. "At least the food won't go bad..." I said to the dog, shivering as I dove into my closet to find my warmest clothes. "Alright buddy, let's get you something to wear." I dug into my closet once more, only coming out when I pulled out a costume I'd bought the year before. He'd hated it, and I never tried to dress him again, but he'd have to get over it. After a struggle to get him out from his pillows of fortitude, and after a stubborn battle from us both the dog sat in the corner pouting. "You'll thank me when we're out there." I grumbled, going to pack us a bit of food.

I went to the only place I _knew_ would have heat. The office. Even if I was smuggling in a corgi in a backpack. The place was completely empty, but the generator had kicked in, meaning the lifts weren't working, but the heat was on at least to some extent. Hiking up floor by floor, by the time I reached my desk I was gasping for air, my calves burning. "God you're heavy." I groaned, flopping the bag down so the animal could free itself. Then I realized my mistake. There was nothing wrong with the dog's legs. "Alright... I might have deserved that..." I muttered, pulling off the hat that came with the outfit. "I could have left the hat off..." The dog snorted before bending his nose to take in the smells. "Alright, let's see if this is working..." I bent down and checked my power switch. It was on. "Sweet. Look here bud, we'll be toasty in no time." I said, reaching into the bottom drawer of my desk. In the far back behind some stray files was a small electric heater. The accounting offices had a tendency to get a bit chilly at night, but after I moved up here I hadn't had that problem. "Good thing I'm a pack rat." I muttered to myself, plugging it into the back and listening to it hum to life. "Awesome! Here Deezer." The dog jogged over and settled in beside me, content to snuggle. Hooking up my phone I propped it up and started my streaming app, happy to be able to feel my toes again.

We'd been watching movies for a couple hours before suddenly the dog sat up, large ears tilting. "What is it?" I leaned up to look around but didn't see any movement on the dark floor. A small woof left the animal as he got to his feet and took off around my desk. "Deezer!" I instantly got to my feet and started after. The short dog bound down the raceway before skidding to a stop before Seto's office. "Deezer, come on." I caught up just as the canine started to dig at the door. "Stop it, come on." I bent down to pick him up when the large door swung open and much to my surprise, I found a pair of bright blue eyes and a smirk looking at me. "You snuck your dog into my office?" "It's not a dog?" I offered, but he just shook his head and swung the door open wider to show his brother curled up on the couch with a blanket. "Milo!" I gave a smile at the boy. "Hey Mokuba-" I was interrupted by my captive's squirming. Dropping him to the floor once more the disguised animal ran to greet the younger Kaiba, backside wiggling. "Deezer! What are you wearing?" "He's a panda..." I blushed. "It was so cold in our apartment, it was all I had for him." "Your power's out?" Asked Seto. I nodded, a bit embarrassed. "Ours too." Said Mokuba. "Really? It's that bad?" "The generator at the house has been on the fritz a while. Hadn't really got around to getting it fixed." Said the elder brother. I noticed instantly how much warmer it felt in here then out in the cubicles. "Wanna join us? Seto made tea." Said Mokuba, holding a steaming mug. "I would _love_ tea."

The time was spent in front of the large TV, with the older Kaiba spending most of his time at his desk. Occasionally he would come back and sit with us for a few moments and comment sarcastically on a scene we were watching while his tea brewed. When the teen had fallen asleep, I finished the movie I got up slowly so I wouldn't disturb him. Gathering my coat I shrugged it on, pulling the gloves out of the pocket. "Where do you think _you're_ going?" I looked up to see Seto's eyes on me. "Bit of fresh air... wanna come?" I said, digging into my back pack and grabbing a familiar wrinkled pack. He got up and pulled on a long coat, fitted and sleek, holding a high collar. "If we go through the stairs, there's a door to the roof." I said softly, looking back to the sleeping teen. The dog stood and I held a hand out. "Deezer stay. Deezer watch." Easing back to the floor, the dog settled back beside the couch where the other slept. Heading out down the raceway we hit the stairs where I had came in. Going up one last flight of stairs, I pressed the door open and wedged a rock in the doorway so it couldn't close behind us. Unlike last night where the wind had whipped the snow in all directions, tonight was still. Trudging through the snow, I went to the edge of the building and leaned against the heavy metal railing. Pulling out one for the blue eyed man, I offered it to him. Taking a deep hit in the crisp air almost burned my lungs, but I just took another. We sat like that a minute before I smiled. "Isn't it quiet?" The fluffy snowfall had left everything looking soft, the sounds of the city gone. "It is..." As if taken in by the spell of the snow, we lapsed back into silence, just watching. When he eventually did break the quiet, it was low, and almost uncertain. "When I was eight, Mokuba and I were adopted by Gozoburo Kaiba... the founder." I didn't reply, just let him speak. "It wasn't what he wanted, but I tricked him... so we could be together." He flicked away the butt of his cigarette. "After that he figured out the easiest way to get to me was through Mokuba... So I did what I needed too. Be the _protege_ he wanted, but I _had_ to protect Mokuba. I _had_ too that meant... distancing myself a while..." He frowned. "I said some awful things to him, did some awful things to gain control of enough of Kaiba Corp... but I would break a few bones to make sure he didn't." His hands clenched and his face pinched in determination. "Every time." I saw the love for his brother, I saw the truth to his words. "I am sorry that happened to you Seto." "Thank you..." He was quiet a moment before he looked toward me. "I'm sorry about your mother Milo." "Thank you..." We stood there for a long moment before we found ourselves leaning in. Cool lips would just barely press to mine before the feeling of splattering snow fell over us. Laughter echoed off the roof as I looked over just in time to see a fluffy -bunned panda bound around a fixture. "We can't let him get away with that." I said firmly. A low rumble fill my ear, sending shivers across my skin with the man's statement. "No we can't.

"I've got snow in places I shouldn't." I muttered. "Seconded." Grunted Seto. "That'll teach you to challenge us!" Said Mokuba smugly. I looked over to the elder Kaiba. "How did we lose? His team mate doesn't have thumbs." "He always was... proficient." Explained Seto as we walked back into the office. The full power had returned to the building, computer screens all around the top floor lighting up as they finished booting. "Looks like the power's back on." Said Mokuba. "Wonder if my place is working?" I muttered, reaching into the inner pocket of my coat I flicked through the apps before bringing it to my ear. "Who are you calling?" Asked Seto, pressing the code into the door handle. "My iPad. It was dead when I left, but I left it plugged in. If power's back on it should take the call..." Instantly the call was rejected instantly to my voice mail. "What about our house Seto?" The older man pulled out his own phone, calling what I could only assume to be a servant. Giving a few clipped responses he hung up. "Ours is back on. Come on." He started packing up the few things they'd brought with them. He paused and looked at where I stood in the doorway, kind of uncertain. "Come on, I don't know about you, but I need a hot shower." He grunted, grabbing his suitcase. "Yea me too." Agreed Mokuba, heading for the lift. "Let's go Deezer." I said firmly, pressing the pooch into my backpack and going to follow the brothers.

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	12. Chapter 12

**This story is a work in progress, don't forget to review and favorite!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own yugioh or it's characters.**

The ride was slow, but warm and I let Deezer peek out the window from my lap. When we finally did pull off the road it was down a long winding driveway, with a positively gigantic mansion at the end. Good lord... Pulling to a stop at the front doors, we climbed out. "Hi Mina!" Called the younger boy as he raced passed a waiting woman by the door. "Shoes!" She called, breaking the boy's stride as he kicked off his soaked sneakers before racing up the stairs. "Can you arrange a guest room to be set up? Milo will be staying for the night." Said the older Kaiba politely, shrugging off his jacket to hang behind the door. "Of course! If you want I can take your coat?" I slipped out of my heavy jacket and offered it to her. "If you want to leave your shoes, the guest room is right this way." I kicked off my boots and ran to catch up. Endless halls were decorated in giant murals or paintings, with the floors a shiny marble or granite. I felt as though my head were on a swivel, turning this way and that. If this was the halls I could only imagine what laid behind the endless doors. After a maze of turns we came to a stop in front of a set of bright wooden doors. "Right this way." Inside was a lavish room, decorated in greens and whites, with a huge bed on one side of the room, and a brick fireplace on the other side, with chairs around it. Suddenly I felt severely under dressed in my ratty jeans and leggings. "The bath is through there, if you'd like to leave your clothes, I'll see about getting you something to wear while I wash them." "Oh... Okay." She let herself out and I slowly went about unbundling myself. An old pull over hoodie from an ex boyfriend, a t-shirt, and long sleeved undershirt, with a tanktop below that. Finally down to my bare skin, I looked to Deezer. "You too bud." Unzipping him from his silly costume, I put it on the pile and headed through the door the woman had pointed too. Inside was a glorious bathroom to match the room, with a huge tub and a glass shower adjacent. "Guys know how to live, huh?" I said with a snort, finding towels in the cabinet, along with an arrangement of soaps and shampoos. Deezer came in and sniffed around as I started the bath. It wasn't often I had a chance to stretch out in a bath and I was going to take full advantage.

A short while later, after I had washed my hair and wrapped in a towel I had just decided to relax and soak when my phone rang. Reaching over, I saw it was a video call from Damian. Ensuring I wouldn't traumatize the boy, I answered. "Hey." _"_ _He-Eww! Are you in a bath?"_ I grinned. "Bruh, this is passed bath status. This is like...a tiny pool." He gave a look of confusion. _"_ _Where are you?"_ "The Kaiba's estate... They were nice enough to put me up while the power's out at my place." _"_ _What's wrong with your power?"_ "We had a snow storm and knocked it off the grid I guess." _"_ _I see. Well that's nice of them."_ "It was incredibly nice of them, hang on I'll show you these sweet digs." I set the phone with it's camera down as I climbed out of the tub and wrapped myself in a large towel. Heading out to the room, I saw my clothes gone and in their place was a pair of pajamas, folded neatly on the bed. Slipping them on, I noticed they were quite large, the legs going well passed my feet. Rolling it at the top to make it manageable, I walked around the room, showing my brother the amenities. _"_ _Damn."_ "Right?" A loud rumbling from my stomach had me looking down. _"_ _Feed your beast."_ I looked to the dog and gave a look of offense. "You're no beast." The dog gave a happy wiggle to his backside. "Let's go see about something to eat. I'm sure they've got a kitchen somewhere in this maze." _"_ _No, they spent millions on a house that doesn't have a kitchen."_ Scoffed Damian. "You shut up." Stepping out into the hall, I started back the way I came, allowing the camera to point forward so he could see everything I could. "Here you go D, your first nekkid lady." I pointed the camera at a Renaissance style painting, the woman betrayed quite homely with a cloth covering her nether regions. _"_ _Good god no, playboy ruined that."_ "Gross." I said, with a snicker, moving on down the hall, studying the paintings as I went. "Oh here's a good one." I showed the boy an image of another woman, this one with some kind of animal at her side. _"_ _Aw look, she posed with her date."_ I had to laugh. "I think it's her ride. Maybe a goat?" "It's a dog." Spoke an amused voice from down the hall. Turning to look, I saw the eldest Kaiba, smirk in place, and what looked like a fresh set of clothes, although these looked much more comfortable then his standard work attire. A worn looking long sleeved shirt sat loose over his form, with a pair of sweats below. _"_ _That's not a dog..."_ Said Damian. "Agreed. _That's_ a dog." I said, pointing to the corgi at his feet, begging for affection. "I thought it was a panda." Said the man, studying the animal critically. "Bamboozled again." I said with a grin. "What are you doing? Wandering the halls studying my taste in art?" Asked the man, raising a brow at me. "Your very very _bad_ taste in art." I said with a look of sympathy. He chuckled and leaned down to give a scratch the the dogs large ears. "It came with the house. I never cared much for it myself." _"_ _You liar. Bet you paid top dollar to have that lady in your hall with her goat."_ Said my brother, causing me to flick the camera back to the front. "I can only imagine what's actually hanging up in his _bedroom_." I said with a look of secretive delight. _"_ _It's dudes."_ I heard a snort from the man as rolled his eyes. "So what are you _really_ doing?" "I require sustenance. I was looking for the kitchen." "It's this way." "Should I leave breadcrumbs so I can find my way back? Hate to get lost." I muttered. "Mokuba and I used the paintings as landmarks." Said the man with a tiny smile. "Ah, so a left at the swan...tying his neck in a knot? That looks painful." I said with a wince at the bird. _"_ _Would you like me to write it down for you?"_ "No, I have a guide." I replied, looking to my brother with a smile. _"_ _You doing okay otherwise?"_ Said Damian. "Besides the power thing? Oh yea, it'll be back on before too long." _"_ _I just haven't been able to get a hold of you."_ "I know, we've been playing tag a bit..." _"_ _You working different hours?"_ I shook my head, increasing my pace a bit to keep up with the long strides of the brunet. "I'm working on a project with Seto, drawing up a few things." _"_ _That VR one?"_ I nodded. _"_ _Oh, how's that going?"_ "It's alright..." He cocked his head and looked at me knowingly. "Well, you know how it is, you start doing stuff on purpose it gets harder... I felt the same way when I would turn in a picture in school." _"_ _That's just the pressure getting to you. Don't worry, you're an amazing artist."_ "I know..." _"_ _I know you do."_ The boy looked over his shoulder and I heard him speak to someone before a look of concern crossed his face as someone came in. _"_ _Dad, it's just Milo. You said I could talk to her..." "Go start on your studies." "But the tutor's not going to be here for another hour-" "You heard me."_ I felt an anger swell in my stomach. "You said I could talk to him Dad." _"_ _I know I did."_ He wasn't angry as he replaced my brother in his chair. _"_ _Milo things are getting worse."_ I frowned. "What do you mean?" _"_ _Someone came by the house today. They_ _ **spoke**_ _to Damian."_ I felt my blood run cold. "What did they say?" _"_ _It doesn't matter. You said you had this under control."_ "I do! I've been making payments, I-" I lowered my tone as I remembered I wasn't alone. "Once a week. It's just gonna take time." _"_ _We don't have time."_ "What do you want me to do?" _"_ _You need to give them a lump sum. Give them something so they know you're serious. Tell them you want us left alone."_ "I'm trying." _"_ _Try harder."_ I went to say something, but stopped and sighed. "Alright... I'll... I'll figure it out..." _"_ _Good."_ The phone flicked off and I growled, my anger coming through as I squeezed it. "But it's not just _my_ problem you-" I went to throw the device when a gentle hand cupped my wrist. "Not a good idea. Breathe." I looked up to the blue eyed man to see sympathy in his stare. Shutting my eyes I took a deep breath, instantly feeling the raging anger ease to a mild irritant. "I'm scared for them." I said quietly, looking to the phone in my hand. "I know." His grip released and his arm came over my shoulders to steer me onto a bar stool. Looking around I discovered us in the kitchen. "Here dog." The sound of a rawhide hitting the floor had my brow raised as the dog dove for it. "I know you've got some sort of plan to take care of this. You just have to stick to it." Said the man, moving around the large room and pulling a few things out of the cabinets. "I know... It just seems Dad is eager to have this done with..." "I'm sure. But if he really wanted to be through with it he would help you." "Yea but..." He set down a plate with a simple sandwich with deli meat in the middle before me, a cup of tea quick to follow. "Just be patient. Rome wasn't built in a day." He said as he sat down beside me, a sandwich of his own on a plate. 'No but... it was destroyed in one...' I thought darkly. Pain in my chest as I worried.

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	13. Chapter 13

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 **Disclaimer: I don't yugioh or it's characters.**

By the next day the power was back on at my apartment and I took my leave of the vast estate. In order to speed up the process and rest my father's worries, I sold my car. Wiring the money to my father, I received a simple text in response. 'I knew you could do it. We'll get through this.' Without my car though, meant I was taking the subway to work. An hour each way every morning and night. I could walk, I had before, but the last thing I wanted to do was walk the miles to work in heels and show up sweaty and stinking. At first the money from the car seemed to be enough. _"_ _Just a bit more Milo... They promised they'd leave us alone, but we need more."_ Urged my father. At first I wasn't sure what else I could do, but as I looked around my apartment, my eyes fell to scattered canvas's. One by one, leaving my walls bare, I sold them. It was an online auction, so I never met the buyers, all I know is the extra support would be enough so that I could pay rent and keep the lights on. Then it came down to one. My heart ached as I wrapped the image of the strong blue eyed woman in bubble wrap. Palistine had always been a source of strength, and as I stared at what once was her spot on the wall and cried. Feeling the strain of loss.

To help ease my finances, I started working in accounting at night before deciding to cash in my paid time off at the consulting job and pulling full shifts downstairs. That would, unfortunately include my Fridays. It took almost two months before I was called into Kaiba's office. At first I wasn't worried, but when I walked in, I felt a familiar stone in my stomach. Gone was the softer, gentler Kaiba Seto I had known, and in his place was the CEO, head of Kaiba Corp. Eyes showed no warmth as they looked to me, nodding to the chair before him. "What's going on?" I asked, sliding into the stiff chair. "I could ask you the same thing." My brows lifted and he stopped typing to turn his screen so I could see. On it was my profile. Most of it was standard, but down at the bottom it showed my pay stubs. "You're double dipping." He said sternly. "It's not against policy. I checked." I said, determined to stick to my guns. "It's stupid." "So?" He sighed and shoved the monitor back in place before reaching into his desk and pulling out an envelope. Setting it on the edge of the desk, he leaned back and looked to me expectantly. Leaning forward I pulled open the top and looked inside. It was a check. With _several_ zeros on it. Shock melted into anger and I slowly replaced the flap and set it back on his desk. "I don't need your help. I don't want that." "I didn't ask if you wanted it." "I do not want your money Seto." I said quietly, but with just as much meaning. "You need a lump sum, I'm giving it to you." "I took care of that." His brows flicked up in a clear motion for me to elaborate. "I sold my car." I ignored the tiny waver in my tone. "I took care of the lump sum." "Then take it to pay off the rest." "I do not want your charity." "Who said it was charity?" A sheet came down to rest next to the envelope. "I'm buying the rights to your drawings. I want to use them in the game." My mind drifted to the thick binder I had given him on his first visit. That was easily four inches thick. "All of them." "All of them." He confirmed. "Any more you come up with can be discussed later, but for now..." I stared at the sheet. All my hard work would be gone. Everything I'd ever drawn would be gone. Stiff fingers lifted the heavy pen and after a long moment, I signed the sheet. When I set the pen down, I grabbed the envelope and brought it to my lap, silent. "Mokuba misses you..." He said softly, taking the paper and moving it into a drawer. "I miss him too." I said. But it wasn't just Mokuba I missed. We were silent for a long moment before I got up and left.

"Dad this will be enough to pay it off, I promise." _"_ _You're certain."_ "It has to be." _"_ _We'll see."_ I felt my heart wrench. I had nothing left. My vacation time was up. My paintings were gone. My car was gone. Anything of any real value had been sold. I had one canvas left. Through the night I painted. Charcoal lined my way, but the colors were soon to follow. Striking blue merged with silver and white. When finally I was done, I summoned Deezer into my bed and slept, awaiting the paint to dry. Well into the following day, I wrapped the canvas in brown paper to protect it and summoned a cab with the last of my cash. Deezer was quietly curled up on the floor, and when we reached our destination, I let him and myself out at the wide iron gates of the Kaiba Estate. Buzzing at the gate was followed by the heavy bars swinging open to let me in. Walking up the long drive, when I finally made it to the door it was opened and I quickly recognized Mina. "Hi..." I shifted a bit. "I don't know if you remember but..." "The master is with his brother in the living room..." She said, a gentle smile on her face. "Through there." I nodded and kicked off my boots and headed through the doorway. The room held a large sectional sofa, with the younger brother on his stomach on one end while his elder sat stretched out on the other. Quickly Deezer ran in to greet them. They looked over and a wide smile came over the teen's face. "Milo!" I was surprised to be wrapped in a warm hug. "I've been worried about you! I haven't seen you in so long!" I gave a small smile to the boy. "I'm sorry... Pressing matters over seas." "Is Damian okay?" Unsure if I could sell a verbal reply I nodded, swallowing the lump in my throat. "You know... Deezer has been cooped up so much lately... Would you take him out? It's been so nice lately..." "Sure! Come on boy!" The corgi gave an excited bark and quickly followed the dark haired boy out. The blue eyed man didn't move. "I... I just came to... I came to thank you... for everything..." I met that deep stare. "But I think it's time I say goodbye." His brows pinned and his legs swung forward. "Where are you going?" "Home? I think I..." I felt a hurt hiccup well in my throat. "I don't uh... I don't really have much of anything left..." I had to look away, focusing on the canvas I had standing against my hip. "But I um... I wanted to give you this... before I go." A gentle hand pulled the canvas from me and I saw him near me now. Our time apart hadn't softened that skill. Tearing the paper away, I heard his breath catch as he took in the image. It was him. From the color of his hair, to the small line of a scar on the back of his right hand. In the painting though, he was clad in a shimmering armor. Scales in the exact same shade of his beloved duel monster covered him from the neck down, and under his arm was the helmet, it's shape distinct, and familiar. Confidence and pride poured from the visual, every last bit in his image. "Milo...This is..." "A gift." A shocked stare turned to me and I gave a smile, what best I could. "I want you to have something to remember me by..." I felt my eyes start to water and looked away. "You don't have to go Milo." He said quietly. "I do..." I sniffed, wiping my nose on my sleeve. "All my paintings are gone... I don't really have... anything left." I looked to the CEO. "The money's gone..." He said, tone low. I nodded. "In the end it just... wasn't enough. Dad says they're still getting calls... I don't know how much she owed but he said we still hadn't covered it all. So I think I'm going to go and see if I can make a bigger dent in it from there..." He was silent and I just continued. "I just don't know what else I can do here... all my paintings are gone... I just feel so..." "Hopeless." I nodded. "Don't..." A gentle finger wiped away a tear that escaped. "Come with me." He murmured, taking my hand in his. "Seto..." "Patience." Was his only response, leading me through the halls. We walked for a solid moment before I recognized the halls we'd taken during my short stay. One corner caused me to stop and he stopped with me. There, on the wall where once had been a tacky renaissance painting, sat one of mine. It was one of the monks Damian had played. My brows pinned and looked back to the blue eyed man, only to catch sight of another. This one was my first character I'd ever played, a spell casting druid, her hair pure white, with a wolf by her side to match. "I sold these..." I looked to Seto, confused. A gentle hand pushed me further down the hall, where every few feet sat another of my works. When we finally reached the end of the hall, there sat a set of double doors. On it was the unmistakable symbol of his Blue-Eyes. Pressing the latch with his thumb, he pushed open the doors. Inside was a dimly lit bedroom, painted a dark blue. White curtains and furniture laid accenting the color, along with several pieces of silver. Then I saw it. My Palistine. Just as beautiful as when I'd wrapped her, if not more so now that she had a mounted frame and light to show her in all her glory. I couldn't help it, I felt a sob of relief burst from my throat. He'd saved her. Saved _all_ of them. "Why?" "Because it was something I could do for you." I looked to him, confused. "I'm not very good at this, but you and I... there's..." I found it odd that a man that always carried such confidence, was at a loss for words. "I care about you Milo... and you help the people you care about." I could tell that had taken a lot for him to say I swallowed and spoke once more. "Will you help me Seto?" He nodded and I rested my head on his shoulder.


	14. Chapter 14

**This is a work in progress! So be sure to favorite and review! And a very special thank you to everyone who has already reviewed. BB**

When I woke, I was once again in the green and white guest room. Rubbing my eyes, I sat up and found my things stacked neatly beside the bed, a note sitting on the nightstand.

Stay as long as you need too. I went to get some things done at the office. We'll talk more when I get home.

SK

Freshening up in the bathroom, I headed out to the kitchen for something to eat. I found the dark haired teenager already there, cup of tea beside him on the bar. "Hey." I said, catching his attention. "Hey. Feeling better?" I shrugged a bit, still unsure. "Well how about some tea? That always makes me feel better." Said the teen. "Actually... are you hungry?" He nodded a bit but shrugged. "The cooks gone for the day, but I can make us some sandwiches or something. "That's alright, I'm sure you guys have something I can cook up..." Rooting around the large kitchen, I felt a bit more at ease as I found what I needed to make some vegetable stew. Chopping and dicing, I made quick work of the ingredients. "I'm sorry I've caused so much trouble for you and your brother, Mokuba." I said, throwing in some potatoes. "You didn't cause any trouble Milo." I snorted and looked back. "Really." "Really." He confirmed. "I was starting to worry about you. I'm just glad you came to us before you went back..." "Why?" He ducked his head, and sipped his tea. "I don't know..." I finished my chopping and set the soup to simmer before heading over and sitting beside him. "I think you do though." He gave a sigh and a heavy shrug before looking up. "Seto and I haven't really... you know _done_ family stuff in a while." My brows flicked up. "I'm sure that's not true." "But it is. He's just so busy _all_ the time. I know it's not his fault, but when we would go over to your house..." He looked to his lap. "I mean that was the first time in a _long time_ Seto and I had sat down around a table and actually ate together. That's why I liked going. I know you guys were working on a game, but I didn't care. It felt like..." He stopped himself and cocked my head. "Like what Mokuba?" "Like a family. Just for a little bit." My heart ached for the boy. All he wanted was time with his brother. I sipped my tea. "I can see that." "You can?" I nodded. "Looks like we all were just kind of looking for something...normal." I chuckled a bit, standing to go stir the soup. The sound of the front door slamming would cause us both to jump, and a frown came back over the young man's face. "What is it?" "He's not in a good mood." The sharp click of the man's heels showed his path to the kitchen. Storming in with a thick aura of simmering anger, the moment his eyes caught mine, I _knew_ this was my fault. "You." "Me." "This is you." A thick stack of folders flopped down on top of the bar. "Not a _single_ one of these has gone where it has needed to." "And why is that?" "Because the _imbecile_ they have temped there doesn't seem to know the alphabet." A tiny smirk curled my lips. "Is she pretty? Blonde? That's Vanessa, the chick from California." I laughed a bit. "She's not that bright." "Come back." "I quit Seto, I put in my final notice to HR last week." I turned to stir the soup, turning the burner off to let it cool. "Kiko wrote me a stunning recommendation for you." He stalked close and tugged my arm to face him. "This is _your_ fault! If you hadn't have left-" "Look, I'm sorry. I thought I was making a good decision." I felt my back warm on the stove and pressed him back. "Careful it's hot." His tunnel vision seemed to ease, and he caught sight of the bubbling pot and kettle. Seeing him visibly deflate, I gave a small smile. "You're just in time though. Let's have a bite to eat and I'll see if I can make something of that mess." He gave a sigh and started for the hallway. "I'll be back." Looking at the younger brother I gave a wink as I turned back to the stove.

"That goes to Kiko with your signature, that one goes to the accounting panel to be reevaluated, and that one goes to human resources." I finished, scribbling notes on the outside of each folder. "Thank you." Said the CEO, slouched back on the couch, head on his hand with his eyes shut, a much more relaxed look on his face. "You're welcome... that bad huh?" He gave a clear look of disgust and I hummed, stacking the files neatly. "I wasn't having a good day either... I just couldn't seem to get anything done." He rubbed his eyes a bit before looking at me. "You feeling okay?" I nodded, leaning back myself, catching sight of Mokuba curled in the corner of the sectional with Deezer. "Always with those two." He looked over and a smile curled his lips. "He's been asking for a dog." "Why didn't you get one?" He chuckled a bit and rubbed his face. "I didn't want it on the furniture." I snorted, a snicker coming through. "Well that didn't work out, did it." "Guess not." He stretched a long leg and propped his foot on the edge of the table, stretching his arms behind his head. "Have you talked to your father?" I shook my head. "I will before the week is out." "Did he know you were going back?" "No. I told Damian though..." "You been talking to him?" "Through email. He thought that way if Dad checked his phone he wouldn't know." "He'd check his phone?" "If he wanted too. D would give it to him too, nobody checks email." "I do." "Well yea, you're different." I said with a chuckle, curling my legs up and tucking my feet under me. "How much did you give him?" I froze, gaze turned down. I didn't want to answer that. "Milo." "Little over ten thousand... plus the check you gave me, most of that-" " _What_?" He growled, sitting forward quickly. "Shh!" I said, giving a clear look to the snoozing pair. "That money was for _you_." He hissed. "I paid the rest of my lease on the house... I thought I could keep my stuff there for a while." I offered. "There's no way some druggie punched up that kind of debt." He said darkly. I gave a clear look of disbelief. "I'm sure they can." "I don't think so. You could go on a bender for 30 years and not rack up that kind of bill." My brow rose. "Gozoburo had a budget for it, and I promise he wasn't smoking what your mother was." I frowned. "Then where's the money going?" His brow lifted and I felt my anger start to tickle in my stomach. "He wouldn't." "He wouldn't? Didn't he say he was just as strapped for cash as you?" Like a shot of whiskey, I felt a fire. "I also happen to know a _very_ good custody attorney." Realization instantly cooled my anger. "When can we leave?" "I had the jet scheduled to be ready by tomorrow." A smirk curled his lips. "You did ask for my help." I couldn't help but match it. "I did indeed."


	15. Chapter 15

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"Why didn't I call you when I went back the first time? Jesus." I muttered, looking around the spacious plane. "Beats coach?" Offered Seto with a smirk. "Second class, give me a little credit." I dismissed with a wave, sinking into cozy chair. "Not much better." Said Mokuba, showing me around the wide cabin. Deezer had been left with the kind house keeper Mina, who with a pooch of her own at home, was more then happy to look after the pup. The 12 hour flight passed much easier then the last one, when we arrived, it was night, so Seto checked us into a hotel, checking them into one room with what would be Damian and I's room right next to it, with a door connecting the two suites. Top of the line, the lovely room had everything anyone could want, a garden tub, a giant plasma, what had to be the most comfortable bed I had possibly laid in, but I couldn't find myself enjoying them. Stepping out on the balcony, I looked over Charlotte. It lacked the luster and charm that I found in Domino. Sure it was beautiful, but I found myself missing the massive outline of the Kaiba Corp office that usually dotted the skyline at home. A soft knock from inside my room had me looking over to the door that sat between rooms. Knowing who sat on the other side before I opened it, I smiled at the sight of the blue eyed man. Ducking in, he gently took the door and shut it silently. "He _just_ fell asleep." He rumbled in my ear. Feeling a sparking tingle down my spine, I turned to face him. "Little late, isn't it?" "Sugar fueled jet lag." I had to smile. "Besides you're one to talk." He said, heading for the open doors. "Nervous..." "Don't be." "Thanks, that fixed it." I muttered sarcastically. "I have something that might help." He flipped open a pack of cigarettes and offered me one. I gave a smile in thanks. "Does he work?" "He works from home, so he's home all day." "I'll arrange for a car to pick us up first thing in the morning."

I gave the driver directions out into the woods. The house was protected from wandering eyes with trees and dirt roads. "What does he do?" Asked Seto, catching sight of the home as we pulled down the drive. "He used to be an architect. I'm not sure what he does now." Pulling to a stop at the door, I didn't even wait for the driver to get our door. Walking to the front door, I stared at it. Seto pressed the door bell as he came to rest beside me. "It'll be okay." "I sure hope so." As the sound of footsteps approached, I felt my heart beat increase. As the door opened I nearly sighed at the sight of my brother. "Milo!" I wrapped my arms around the boy and squeezed. "Oh god D, it's so good to see you." I said into his hair. "What are you doing here?" "Yes, do tell." I looked up to see my father in the hall, eyes on me and my brother. "Why don't we come inside?" I asked politely. Following my father into the living room, Damian sat down in a worn and faded recliner. "Who's this with you Milo?" Asked my father politely. "Seto Kaiba, president and CEO of Kaiba Corp." Said Seto, meeting my father's hand firmly. "Richard Newman, pleasure." "I'm sure." That caused a flash of irritation to dart across my father's face. "What brings you by?" Before I could speak, Seto took the liberty of answering for me. "Protecting an asset." The CEO sat down on the couch beside me and crossed his arms. "I've done your daughter a very big favor, keeping her from bankruptcy." "And just what is she to you?" Asked my father, leaning back in his own chair. Seto dismissed his question with a wave. "It doesn't matter. What _does_ matter is the thousands and thousands she seems to have invested into you." "Listen Mr... Kaiba. I don't know what you think you know-" "Oh I think I know quite a bit. I think you had just about maxed out your line of credit on this house. Then... mysteriously paid it off." Seto's face gave a clear look of curiosity. "Isn't that just strange. Or the fact you seemed to have gotten a new car within the last few weeks, with a very sizable cash down payment..." The elder Kaiba brother's brows pinned a bit. "Now that doesn't seem right, does it?" I felt that all too familiar stone start in my stomach. "There wasn't any debt...was there." I growled. "Where did you learn that." Snapped my father to the CEO. "It's amazing what a Credit check will reveal...but you're avoiding her question." "Of course there was a debt! A woman like that-" "A woman like that couldn't rack up a debt that size." I growled. "Everyone knew she wasn't good for it." "Dad..." My father and I's gaze turned to Damian. "What are you talking about?" My sharp stare turned to my father. "You still haven't told him." "Why would I? My reasons still stand Milo." "Mom's dead Damian." I said, looking to the boy. "I've wanted to tell you for a while now." "So...that's why Dad's been getting money from you?" I shrugged. "He says it was to pay off her debt." "He told me it was to help us out. So we wouldn't have to move." "He's not wrong." Said Seto, a frown on his lips. I looked to my father, normally so stoic, now he looked concerned. "You're coming with me Damian. Until we can figure this out." I said, looking to my brother. "What? For real?" "For real. Go pack a bag." "Alright!" Racing up the stairs, the boy left the room in a sudden silence. "You're not taking him Milo." "I am." I answered simply. "And before you think you've got a chance at this, think about the new car payment, the mortgage you now have to pay, think about all the little things that my money helped you to get." I met his unnerved stare. "Now think of your life without them. Or better yet think about what your life might be if I decide to file charges for extortion." "You don't have the resources to do any of those things." Said my father. "I don't think you're in a place to tell her what kind of resources she has." Spoke Seto, leaning forward, smirk in place. Damian thumped down the stairs with a travel bag and a back pack. "Ready to go?" I asked fondly. "You bet!" "Good." I stood, the elder Kaiba with me. "Say your goodbyes D, we'll be out in the car." I locked eyes with my father, his normally placid facade broken to show the unstable man beneath. "Five minutes."


	16. Chapter 16

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Damian didn't stop talking from the moment we entered the car until we pulled up to the hotel. "Whoa..." "We're staying here until our flight home." I said, offering the door to the boy first. "Really? Cool!" I took his suit case from the driver and followed up towards our rooms. The moment we came into mine, there was a knock on the door between them. "Who's that?" Asked Damian. "Someone super excited to see you." I said with a chuckle, throwing open the door to allow a familiar black haired boy through. "Mokuba!" "Damian!" Instantly they were trying to catch each other up, and I looked to an apologetic blue eyed man in the doorway. "I tried to get him to wait." I just smiled and shrugged. "We have all the time in the world now. Let them have a few minutes."

We would end up in the brother's room. The two teens on the floor in front of the large TV, taking advantage of every amenity there was to take advantage of. "Doesn't take much to keep them happy." I muttered from the patio, a smirk in place. "Just a few hundred in room service, no biggie." The elder Kaiba rolled his eyes, tossing down the slip that had came with dinner. "Listen. About that..." "Don't." The blue eyed man dismissed, a small smile on his lips as he looked at the pair. "Mokuba's happy. I'd pay more for less." I chuckled, looking out to the city. He came to the railing with a pair of glasses in hand. "Here." I looked over to see a stemmed glass in his hand. "For your victory." "Who am I to turn down a reason to drink?" I tapped my glass with his and took a sip. The rich flavor of the wine coated my tongue, and as I swallowed, I looked over to the man who made this victory possible. A surge to my courage, and I leaned forward. The moment his lips pressed to mine, I felt my breath taken away. He pressed us flush, a low rumble leaving his chest. "Hey... hey look." "Ha! About time." "Eww." I gently parted with the intent to scold them, but gentle fingers brought my chin back. "No no no, not this time." I had to give in, the feeling of his lips on mine too good a feeling to give up just yet anyway.

"You have twelve hours to convince me this game is as awesome as you guys say it is." I muttered, a hand full of cards fanned out before me. "Okay, so for a first move, it's a good idea to put out a monster with either a high strength or defense." Said Mokuba, pointing to a card in my hand. "Any reason I'm playing _him_?" I looked up to where Seto sat with a smirk on his lips. "Crash course." He replied. "Yea, but that's like starting a game on hard." "You'll be okay. If you're lucky he'll go easy on you." Said Mokuba with a grin as I set down the Gemini Elves in attack mode. "That's cute." I grunted. "So what do I do with these?" I said, indicating the colored cards in my hand. "You put those face down." "Pink is trap, green is magic." Said Damian from his seat beside me. "Okay, so that, and... that." I set the cards down. "And that's your turn." "Okay, for my first move I place one face down and summon Lord of Dragons." Said Seto, placing the monster on his side of the field. "Uh oh." Muttered Mokuba. "What? That monster isn't as strong as mine, right? So he can't attack with it." "He's not attacking with it." Said the teen, running a hand down his face. "Then I'm going to use flute of summoning dragon, which lets me summon two dragons to the field." He pulled two cards out and placed them beside the Lord. "Wait a minute now, there's no way." "You just lost." Said Seto smugly. "Wait!" Mokuba flipped over one of my cards. "Mirror force takes any attack and directs it right back at them." "Oooh.." I looked up to see Seto's smug grin gone and in it's place, a distinctive frown as he scooped up his cards to be put in the graveyard. "Don't pout, it's unbecoming." I said with a tiny smile. "Okay, so... it's my turn... can I play this?" I asked Mokuba, pointing to a card. "You need to sacrifice a monster first. Any monster with 5 and 6 stars, you sacrifice one, 7 or 8 you have to sacrifice two." Said the teen. "Okay, so I will sacrifice my elves, and summon this." I set down Gaia the Swift Knight. "And since Seto doesn't have a monster on the field you can attack him directly." "Really? Yes, let's do that." "You can try." Said Seto, raising a brow. "He's bluffing. Do it." Said Damian. The brunet flipped over a trap card. "Negate attack. It stops your attack from hitting me." Said Seto. "Well then." I grumbled, looking at my hand. "So I'll set this card face down and end my turn." "I'll play Change of heart. That lets me take control of one of your monsters for a turn." He took my Gaia and placed it on his side of the field, only to sacrifice it and summon Luster Dragon. "That's just rude." I muttered, looking at our scores. He was at 1700 and I was at 1600. "And I'll leave it at that." "Well I hope so." I looked at my cards. "Use that one." Offered Mokuba. I laid down Pot of Greed, and drew two more cards. "Okay, so lay down that one, face down in defense mode." "Why?" "You'll see." I raised a brow but did as he bade, placing another trap card on my side. "Your turn Seto." "I'll summon Vorse Raider and attack your face down card." I flipped it and grinned at his muttered curse. "What does it do?" I asked Mokuba with a grin. "That's man-eater bug. It lets you destroy one monster on his side of the field." Said the teen with a matching smile. "Cool! I don't like that one." I said tapping the dragon. "And since his Vorse Raider has already gone, he can't attack your life points." Said Mokuba. "Sweet." I looked at my hand. "I think...I wanna play this." I put the Magical Elf in defense mode. "Good. It's stronger then his Vorse Raider." Said Mokuba. "I think I'm kind of getting the hang of it." I said, looking over my cards. "Knowing is only a part of it. You need a strategy." Said Seto. "Yea, and I can see how building your deck could make or break you... I really wasn't thinking when I picked these out." I said, a look of thought over my face. "They're not too bad." Said my opponent, placing a card face down to join his Vorse Raider. "A compliment? Am I doing that bad?" A snort was my only response as I looked at my hand. "I use Monster reborn to bring back my Gaia. Then I'm going to sacrifice them to summon Chaos Command Magician." I said, putting the card down. "Then I add this Book of Knowledge, giving him 500 more points." I said, flipping over one of my cards. "And I'm going to use it to attack your Vorse Raider." He was down to 700 points, and I had a strong card on the field. "Your turn." "I put one card face down in defense mode, and end my turn." I raised my brow. Summoning Pitch Black Werewolf in attack mode. "I use the Werewolf to attack your face down." He flipped it over to show Magician of Faith. "I bring Monster Reborn into my hand. Go ahead." His smirk unnerved me and I looked to Mokuba who shrugged. "He's bluffing. Do it." Said Damian. "You said that last time. Don't think you win championships by bluffing D." I said with a suspicious look to my opponent. "You got too. Don't be a wuss." Responded my brother. "Okay... I use Chaos Magician to attack you directly." I said, looking at Seto curiously. "You win." "What the crap. You liar." His brows lifted. "Why would I lie?" "I call bull crap. Let me see those." I reached for his cards and he stretched back. "Now now, take your win." "No." I lowered his hand and leaned over to look at his cards. He had a monster reborn, premature burial, and some purple card with three dragons on it. "You lair! You let me win!" "Maybe." He smirked and I looked at him sternly. "Would you rather I wiped the floor with you?" "Yes! Wait... No. I'll take it. I win." I looked victoriously at the boys who grinned.


	17. Chapter 17

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 **I don't own Yugioh or it's characters.**

"Come on Damian, I'll show you my room!" Said Mokuba excitedly. "Shoes!" I called out, watching both boys kick of their sneakers and take off once more. Excited barking came from the living room, and the next thing I saw was a fluffy loaf skid down the hall after them. "Mina, can you set up something in Mokuba's room for Damian to sleep on? I have a feeling setting up a guest room would be a waste of time." Asked Seto with a small smile to the kind woman waiting by the door. "Of course. Is that where the bag is going?" I nodded and allowed her to take Damian's bag. "Thank you." I said as she parted. I sighed and ran my long black locks out of my face. "What's wrong?" Asked the blue eyed man as we headed down the hall. "It's nothing..." He snorted and I looked over to see a clear look of disbelief. "Really. I'll be alright. I think I need a hot bath and a full night's sleep." "Alright... I've got some work to catch up on, if you need me, you know where I'm at." I nodded, and felt the slightest brush of his lips on my cheek. I wouldn't be able to sleep though, and after hours of tossing and turning, I would end up walking the endless halls. It would eventually land me before a familiar branded door, a striking blue dragon upon it's face. Uncertain, but slowly a growing need welled inside, and gently, I knocked. When the blue eyed man answered, he parted the threshold for me, before returning back towards the desk on the far side of the room. "Are you okay?" He asked, looking over as he sat down. I'd found what I came for though. "I needed to see her." I stood before the familiar canvas. His own portrait that I'd given him hung alongside. They looked fitting together. "Might sound strange but she reminds me where I came from..." Soft finger tips came up to trace a line on her armor. "She was my first painting while I was recovering... I _made_ her to show the fight I had to go through to get clean. How strong I had to be." I withdrew my hand and stared. "So sometimes when I'm lost or unsure, I just like to look at her." I slowly dropped to the floor, legs folded indian-style as I gazed transfixed. We stayed that way for a long time, thoughts running in my mind as I slowly tried to unfold and sort them. The sound of a soft knock would bring me back. "Enter." The door opened and Mina carried in a tray, setting it beside the desk with a kettle and set of cups. "Anything else you might need before I head home, sir?" "No, thank you." She bowed a bit and walked out. As I returned my gaze to the painting, I looked to the one beside it. Where Palistine had been made in strength, the portrait of Seto had been made in weakness, my rock bottom, but the sheer emotion and focus to detail turned it into a diamond among coal. "Find what you were looking for?" Asked Seto softly as he handed down a mug to me, standing beside where I sat. "No..." I sighed, accepting the warm mug in my hands. "Unfortunately the secrets to life aren't on any canvas." "Some would disagree." "Most artists would." I said with a snort. "But these don't tell me what I'm going to do to support a teenager. How I'm going to keep the lights on, let alone afford schooling." He stared at the paintings for a long moment before replying. "Maybe they do." "What?" I looked away to give him a clear look of confusion, but he was back at his desk, typing avidly. "Come here." I raised a brow but slowly got to my feet and went over to where he sat. "These are all of your drawings, the VR team is using them as a base for the characters but what if _you_ painted them?" "What are you saying? You want me to paint all of my characters? That could take years." "One at a time maybe, but what if you put them together?" He looked to me, a smile of victory on his face. "How would you like a job? As head of the art department." My brows lifted. "You would only answer to me. You would come up with covers, posters, everything. Not _just_ for the new game, but _all_ of them. You would have access to top of the line materials, everything you could ever need." I felt shock run through. "But... I'm not qualified. I don't know the first thing about running a department." "But you _are_." His bright blue gaze locked into mine. "I _know_ you can do this. And you wouldn't be alone, you'll have the best artists right there with you." "What...what would I do?" "You make art... paint, draw, anything related to what we're making, and the advertising department will take it and produce it." I looked at his screen for a long moment. "I could just... paint." "Whatever you wanted. All these drawings? Take them and we'll use them as the promotions for the new game." I thought about it for a long moment. "Alright... Alright I'll do it." He gave me a smile, and I found butterflies swirling in my stomach at how handsome he looked when he did it. "You start Monday."

We would end up staying the weekend at the Kaiba Estate. Sunday night at dinner, I found a smile on my lips as I saw Damian struggling with the wooden utensils. " _Give_ him a fork." I said, looking to Seto, who was watching Damian struggle with a smirk. "He should learn." I rolled my eyes and stood, going into the kitchen to grab a pronged utensil to end my brother's battle. "After dinner D, I want you to go gather your things. We're heading home." "Awhhh!" The chorus of complaints came from both boys, looking to me objectively. "No whining, we've taken advantage of Seto and Mokuba's hospitality for too long as it is." I said sternly. "But you don't have to go! It's not like we mind, do we Seto?" Offered Mokuba. "Of course not, but if that's what Milo wants to do, we can't make them stay." Said the elder Kaiba, matching my tone. A lagging silence showed the pair's sadness and I sighed. "Good lord it's like you won't see each other again. You guys always end up at my place on Friday's anyway." I said, taking a sip of my tea. "That's true..." Said Mokuba, looking to Damian. "It's kind of a tradition now, I guess." I gave a tiny smile. "There now, why don't you go help D find all his stuff?" "Sure, come on Damian." Said the younger Kaiba, standing. "Alright." Damian stood and started down the hall after him. "You know you don't have to go, right?" Said Seto once the pair had left. I sighed and nodded, poking a bit at my plate. "I know... and as tempting as it may be, I'm not ready to move in yet. I like my apartment." I gave a tiny smile to the man beside me before turning back to my mostly empty plate. "Besides, Damian and I have some serious reconnecting to do, and I don't want him to get used to being waited on hand and foot. He and I both have known struggle, and _please_ _please_ do not take this the wrong way, but I _know_ he won't take to it well. Mokuba is so well rounded, and grounded, but...I worry Damian won't be." "Money means a lot to you, doesn't it." I couldn't quite read his tone, and looked over to see his stare calculating. "Seto, I came to this country with nothing. Every dollar I've gotten, I've earned. I scraped, and gone without, and while it's not something I want Damian to go through, he should know each dollar is a blessing, and something to be respected." I saw his thoughts turn in those bright blue eyes before they softened. "A powerful lesson for sure, one I think we could _all_ learn a bit from." A soft hand cupped my chin. "But you can always visit." A smirk curled my lips before I could stop it. "Have you _seen_ the tub in my room? Oh yeah. Visits are totally a thing." A deep chuckle escaped him as he released me, a smile once more on his face.

The following week, the door was answered by an eager faced Damian. "Hey! Come on in." "Where's Milo?" Asked the younger brother as he came in, giving a warm greeting to Deezer. "Don't disturb it, it might bite." Said Damian pointing down the hall. "Did you know the room she gave me was a studio?" "No. We never went back there." Said Mokuba with a grin. "Good life choice." Said the teen with a nod as he shut the door behind them. "Maybe you can pull her off her easel. She's been back there for three days now." Seto's brow rose as he stepped around the pair and walked down the hall. Various art pieces were leaning at the base of the walls, papers, poster boards, of all mediums. "Milo?" I looked up, thick brush between my teeth with a finer one in my hand. "Shetho?" I brought the brush down into my hand. "What are you doing here?" "It's Friday." "It is _not_." I said with a frown, picking up my phone and lighting up the screen. "Holy crap it is." "Been busy?" "So much!" I gave him an excited look. "But look at all of the things I've gotten done!" I said as I moved the various supplies to show a scene. The point of view was of the viewer, on the back of a dark steed, shield at the ready as it faced what appeared to be a red dragon with a large set of wings. "I talked to the other artists and they said they've been asked to start on the monsters for the game, so I took it a step further. I went down to the park and watched people duel with the holograms, and just _loved_ the feeling of being face to face with a monster, and that's _exactly_ the feeling we need, so I've been trying to recreate it." I rattled, moving the scene to show another, this one showing the view of a spell caster, hand out and book in hand, this one in what looked to be colored pencil. "I used my first check to restock some of my supplies, I thought about getting another iPad, but I _missed_ using paper. I'm so glad I cleaned out Damian's room, I found a bunch of stuff stashed in there. I was going to run these by you and see what you liked best." I looked back to find a look of amusement on his face. "What do you think?" "Have you eaten today?" "Yea." A loud rumble from my stomach would instantly call my bluff. "We brought take out." He said with a chuckle. "Oh!" A strong arm would catch me as I went for the door. "No no no, let's get this, and _you_ cleaned up, and we'll look it all over after dinner." He said, a thumb rubbing my cheek and coming off green from some kind of pastel. "But you should know better then to leave food with teenagers, there will be nothing left!" I said with a pout. "I'll protect it. Now go on. I'll get these." With little left to do but what he'd asked, I grabbed some fresh clothes and went to the bathroom to clean up.

A cleansing shower later, and I was sitting around the table with the boys, carton in hand while Seto patiently taught my brother the art of chopsticks. "It feels weird." He said, attempting at grabbing some of his rice. "You get used to it." I said, feet up in my chair with a knee up to rest my carton on. "That's what you said about the uniform." "You _will_." I assured, before looking at the brothers. "He doesn't care for the uniforms you have to wear here." "You don't wear uniforms in the States?" Asked Seto. I shook my head. "I went to public school, you could wear whatever you want. D was home schooled for the most part." "Tests in my jams." Said my brother fondly. The brothers looked to me a bit confused at the slang. "Pajamas." I clarified. "Aw sweet!" Said Mokuba. "You're fortunate to find an English school here." Said Seto towards me. "It took a bit of looking, but I found one, and it's only an hour by subway. Damian says there's quite a few Americans there." "Subway?" Seto's brows pinned a bit in confusion. "I still don't have a car Seto, that's one of the reasons I've been holed up here, it's easier just to work from home and take them in." I said, nodding to the stack of papers. He opened his mouth to respond but I cut him off. "If the next words out of your mouth are 'company car' I'm eating your chicken." He gave me a dirty look and I just raised my brow, chopsticks pointed at his container. He picked it up defensively, picking at it with his own set. "You _are_ a department head, it wouldn't be unheard of..." I snorted and looked over to a snickering Mokuba. "Something funny?" "I brought some cards over Damian, wanna duel in the living room?" "Yeah." They both got up and took their boxes to the living room to finish, drawing a grin to my face.


	18. Chapter 18

**Thank you for everyone still continuing to read! I didn't realize just how much I'd written until I started breaking it up. Favorite and review! There's still more to come. BB**

 **I don't own Yugioh or it's characters.**

 _"_ _Hey it's me. Where are you?"_ The tone of the CEO was on edge, causing me to pause in my motions. It was well into the next week, and once again I was holed up in my apartment, working on designs. "Home. Why? You okay?" _"_ _Just wondering if you had time for lunch. I have something for you."_ "Oh, okay. Yea, I could probably swing that. What time?" _"_ _Hang on."_ I heard him lean away from the phone, presumably talking to Kiko. _"_ _Two?"_ "Yea that works. Might be a little late, not sure how the train runs this time of day." _"_ _I'll send a car for you, be ready a few minutes early."_ "I can do that." _"_ _See you then."_ "See ya." The line clicked and I looked at my messy pj's. Time for a clean up. Managing to get a box of tuna rolls and rice packed for us, the intercom by the door buzzed right as I finished changing and the door man announced the car's arrival. When I arrived at the building, I tucked my poster boards under my arm and thanked the driver before heading up towards Seto's office. As I headed down the raceway I waved and greeted a few of my coworkers along the way, not thinking anything of heading straight for the locked doors at the end of the walkway. As I reached for the handle to put the code in, an almost hysteric voice spoke. "Oh my goodness, Newman-San no! You can't go in there." The woman stood and moved to intercede. "Is he still in a meeting?" I asked, confused. "Well, no- but Kaiba-sama is _very_ busy. You _can't_ go in there." Her eyes ran over my form and I saw a curl of disgust start on her lip. I wore a faded pair of jeans and an old flannel, with dark boots to protect from the soggy ground outside. "Especially looking like that." "I-" "Didn't you _quit_? What are you even doing here?" "I'm here for lunch with _Mr. Kaiba_." I rolled my eyes and went to put the code in once more. Pressing the buttons before she could stop me, I stepped inside just as she shuffled around the desk in her pointed heels. "Newman-san! I _must_ insist-" As I stepped inside, Seto looked up, phone pressed to his ear. "Kaiba-sama I'm so-" A sharp snap silenced Kiko as the executive grunted into the receiver, showing he was listening. Putting my posters down beside the desk, his brows lifted as he saw the bag in my hand. Parting the straps I let him look inside. Two neat boxes sat nestled inside with a thermos of tea. He pointed to them then to himself and I nodded. Picking them out he responded into the receiver once more. Pulling out the thermos I peeked around his desk and found his coffee mug, and gave it a grimace. Putting the bag aside as he dug in his desk, I passed the positively steaming woman by the door as I went to the washroom. Rinsing and wiping out the inside of the mug, I headed back towards the CEO who was giving parting words with whomever he was talking with. "Milo." An iron grip grabbed my wrist and I felt a panic like fear stab me in the stomach. Squelching it quickly, I glared at the woman. "You have gone too far. You need to go." "I was invited...Let me go." I replied, voice icy. "I find that incredibly hard to believe." "Release. Me." I said, tone turning slightly dark. "I don't think so." My calloused fingers wrapped around her own wrist, my thumb finding the pressure point and stabbing it sharply. A shout left the woman as she let me go, dropping to one knee. "Quiet, he's on the phone." I whispered mockingly. A sigh could be heard from the desk and I looked over to see the blue eyed man giving me a clear look of impatience as he hung up the phone. "Sorry." I muttered, letting her go. "Kiko, it's fine." Spoke the CEO as he dug out a pair of chopsticks from somewhere in his top drawer. "But Kaiba-sama she's-" "The head of the art department." Finished the man, flashing those sharp blue eyes her way as she got to her feet, a dark blush over her nose. "The head..." She looked at me and I tilted a poster so she could see, the Kaiba Corp logo clear as day in the center. Setting the clean mug on his desk, I dug in the bag for a fork before sitting at one of the chairs in front. "Her attire-" "Is unimportant, _I_ called _her_ in." Said the man, eyes narrowing. "You are to no longer intercept Ms. Newman should she need to see me, is that understood?" The woman's mouth opened, clearly to object, but he cut her off. " _Is_ that understood." A shiver ran up my spine and I looked back to Seto to see those eyes locked on his secretary. While I found myself happy I wasn't on the end of it, my heart skipped a beat at the sight. "Yes-s-sir." Muttered the woman. "Good. Go." As the woman scurried from the office, I felt my brows lift as he looked to me. "Asserting our dominance?" I asked, only to have him smirk. "I'm not sure, _are we_?" I snorted and scooted the chair closer so I could make a grab for one of the boxes. "Really Milo, that wasn't necessary." "It was an accident." I went for the rice and found my hand pinned under his chopsticks. Reluctantly looking up to that stare, I ducked it once more when I found it a bit too intense for me. "I didn't mean too... I asked her to let go and when she didn't I just... I didn't handle that appropriately, and I will apologize to her, I just..." I stopped myself and took a deep breath. The chopsticks lifted and a gentle pair of hands replaced them. Cradling it in his large ones, he looked it over. "You write a lot." I looked up to see those bright eyes looking at the palm. "Well, knowing you it's probably from a brush or something..." He muttered, turning the fingers up. " _Today_ it was a brush anyway." My brow lifted and he smirked. "There's paint under your nails." I rolled my eyes and pulled my hand away. "What did you bring?" He asked, peeking into the remaining box near him. "Tuna rolls, I didn't have a whole lot of time." "That's alright, these will do nicely."

"What did you want to show me?" I asked as I cleared away the boxes. "Ah yes, come here." He indicated his side, and I stood, rounding the slightly messy desk. A firm hand dropped me into his chair between his long legs, and I tried to push down a hard rush of burning to my ears that was quickly spreading to my nose. His arms came around and I watched him lean up what looked like a tablet, but tapping the screen, I knew I was wrong. "It's a drawing tablet." He said, voice right over my shoulder. A swarm of butterflies curled in my stomach, and they felt warm, probably on fire. Fascination with the object before me held me down though. "Like my iPad?" "Better then your iPad." He slid the pen from it's holster on the side and offered it to me. Taking it, I noticed instantly how sensitive it was. It had apps like the iPad, but it was clear this was made for art. His soothing voice ran me through each function, even attaching it to his computer to make it easier for me to draw. "This is _amazing_." I said, flicking through each medium. "The resolution is amazing too! I'm sure then advertising department will like this so much better then what I've been giving them. The VR department too! I wouldn't have to work from home so much." I rambled, eyes locked on the screen as I swiftly drew up a twenty sided dice. "You like it?" "Seto, I _love_ it!" I looked back and gave him a bright smile, getting a soft one in return. "Good." "Thank you." I turned and wrapped my arms around him. "You are quite welcome." Was murmured in my hair as arms slowly came to embrace me back.

"That's neat what he gave you." Said Damian as we sat at the table. Slowly, this had turned into a nightly thing, after dinner he and I would sit at the table. He would work on his homework, and I would focus on something for work. "It _is_ isn't it? I do miss using the old stuff though." "Not as much mess." "That and it's already in a digital format for the other departments to use..." The teen was silent a minute before he propped his head in his hand, a smug smirk on his lips. "What?" I raised a brow, but my eyes stayed glued to the screen. "You like him." "Well yea, I like them both, they're nice guys, those Kaiba brothers..." The boy rumbled and grinned and I knew he wasn't buying it. "You wanna _smooch_ him, oh wait." I felt my ears burn a bit heard the boy laugh. "He a million dollar kisser?" Snickered the boy, confident in his joke. "Shut up D." "Come on, I'm just teasing." I rolled my eyes and looked up. "I know..." "But..." He poked. "But nothing D, there's nothing to really talk about." "Sure there is, you guys kissed in the hotel." "Yea, but that's _all_ we've done. I don't want to-" I cut myself off and set my pen down to get more tea. "Don't want to what? What's wrong Milo?" Asked the boy, tone genuine. "I don't know... I don't want to ruin it I guess." I muttered, pouring the hot liquid into my mug. "How could you ruin it? He clearly likes you." "Really." "Come on..." He leaned back in his chair. "He helped you get me." "That was a favor for a friend." "The job? The paintings? Hell, _this_ thing." He poked the tablet and I sighed. "I didn't want those things..." "But he did them for you." "Yea..." I sat back down and he waited for me to continue. "So?" "I don't know..." I looked around and fiddled with the tablet a bit. "He spent a _lot_ of money on me D..." I said, clearly uncomfortable with it. "Honestly, I mean it's nice, the gifts are nice, the job is _amazing_ but... honestly, it's killing me to owe him..." "He doesn't care." "But _I_ do D." I looked up, touching my chest. "You _know_ how I am about money." "Yea, but it doesn't mean the same thing to you as it does to him." He grabbed the handle of my mug and peeked inside, curling his nose a bit at the smell from the tea. He hadn't been making that transition as easily as I did. "What do you mean?" "I mean, money's just... money to him." He looked around and pointed at the kitchen. "It's like potatoes, or rice. Well shit, we're out, better get more." He shrugged a bit. "He's a millionaire, he doesn't care about what he's spending." "But _I do_." "Get over it." Said the boy, looking at me sternly. "This, spending money, that's how he thinks he needs to show his affection. It's how he catches people's attention. Why would dating be different?" "I don't know..." The boy shrugged. "Look, if it bothers you, tell him. If not, shut up." He gave a tiny grin. "Problem solved." "Oh yea, just like that then?" "You bet." I chuckled and took back my mug. "Alright then, what about this one? A train leaves at 4 pm traveling east bound at..."


	19. Chapter 19

**On to the next chapter! Thank you everyone for reading. Don't forget to favorite and review! BB**

 **I don't own Yugioh or it's characters**

"Hey Milo!" Said Mokuba, rushing passed me into the apartment. "Hey!" I turned and the boy paused. "Damian's doing homework. If you help him finish up, you guys can do whatever, but he's _got to_ finish." I said firmly. The black haired teen grinned. "Sure! No problem!" He replied before finishing his trek towards Damian's room. Turning back, I smiled at the tall brunet still in the doorway. "Hey." "Hey." He replied, pressing his lips to my cheek as he too came inside. As he set his briefcase down on the table, he gave a heavy sigh, shrugging out of his suit jacket. "Long day?" I asked, heading back into the kitchen. "Just a headache." He said as he sat down at the table, slouching a bit as he tugged on the knot of his tie, already digging into his case. "Well here... leave that be a minute..." I reached into my cabinet and dug around until I pulled down a jar with a tight lid. Inside was something that looked similar to a potato with extra arms. Popping off the lid, an almost citrus like smell hit my nose. Still good. Breaking off a small part, I resealed the jar and put it back. Chopping up the root, I placed it in a mug and poured tea over it. "What is that." He muttered as I set it before him. "Ginger root. I keep it for my migraines. Let it sit a minute, lean back." His brow rose, and I stood behind him, gently coaxing his head back. "Come on, if I was going to kill you, I would have done it weeks ago." He snorted, and did as I bade, letting his head fall back into my hands. Brushing his hair back away from his face, I softly pressed my thumbs over his crown, drawing his eyes closed. Pressing my fingers over his sinus' and over his cheekbones, I heard him softly sigh. "You've been pinching your nose." I said quietly with a chuckle. "I do that." "You should quit... You pinched off your sinus canal..." I pressed my fingers over the top of his brows and down, feeling the swelling and gently rubbing to ease it. "You can do that?" I rumbled a bit in response. "Yes, you can do that. That's why your head hurts." "I took something for it." "Was it ibuprofen?" His brows pinched and I grunted. "Quit that." "No, it wasn't..." "You should take some, it'll help that swelling go down. I have some in the bathroom, I'll get it for you in a minute." We settled into silence for a moment and I found the nervous question I had been holding for him didn't seem so scary with him before me. "I was... wondering..." He gave a small grunt in reply, eyes shut as my workings started to take effect. "I was thinking next Friday, maybe instead of you and Mokuba coming here, I could drop Damian and Deezer off at your place and you and I... I don't know, go do something?" I winced and braved a peek at the man below. A brow had lifted, along with the sides of his mouth in a tiny smile. "You asking _me_ out?" "I am. You turning me down?" "Nope. Where do you want to go?" I let out a breath I didn't know I'd been holding. "Not sure... the park? I like watching the duels." He hummed and I felt him lean into my touch as I ran my fingers down the side of his face along his ears. "How about dinner first?" I resisted an urge to bite my lip, remembering what my brother had said a few days prior. "Alright, but somewhere simple... I don't own a cocktail dress." He smirked, those bright eyes finally flicking open to meet mine. "Deal."

"What's for dinner?" Asked Mokuba as he put down some plates. "A fine American cuisine." I said with a chuckle, bringing over a large, speckled, oblong pot with a lid. "What is it?" Asked the dark haired teen, curious. "Pot roast!" Crowd Damian as he came down the hall from washing up. "Been smelling it for hours!" Crooned the teen, eagerly taking his seat. "What's a pot roast?" Asked Seto, peeking under the lid. "Careful, it's hot." I scolded, taking the lid off with a pot holder and letting the steam roll out. "It's cooked beef, potatoes and carrots, cooked in juices." Said Damian, mouth watering. "It's our comfort food. My dad used to make it." I explained, getting a knife for the beef and a ladle for the veggies and broth. "Last Sunday every month." Said Damian with a nod. "That was _God's_ day." I muttered sarcastically. "Because who needs the others?" "Milo..." Scolded my brother with a dirty look. "Sorry D." Giving a bowl full to everyone, I finally served myself.

"Shhhh. Deezer stay...watch." I said, pointing to the dozing boys taking up my couch. As Seto and I made our way out to the patio, I pulled out my cigarettes from the pot in the corner. "What did you think of the roast?" He chuckled as he lit the end of his cigarette. "It was different. I can't say I've had anything quite like it..." Those bright eyes stared as I tried to light the end of my own. My fingers had continuously tingled over the course of the last few days, and while it wasn't hurting, they had started to grow numb. "Here..." His hand cupped mine, and helped it through the motions. "Thanks..." "I thought I told you to get that looked at..." He murmured as I put the cigarettes back in place. "What?" He gave me a clear look and I knew what he was talking about. "I was going too..." "But?" "It's an insurance thing right now... I'm not covered just yet. I'll be okay until it kicks in." He just grunted and pulled on my hand, rubbing the joints at the bottom and each digit. "It's not going to go away Milo." "I know..." His eyes flicked up and I met them. "I _know_ okay? I do." "Okay." He left it at that, but continued to rub my hand, bringing the feeling back, bit by bit. "I have a brace you can have. It'll help keep that open. I want you to wear it." My brow lifted and he looked at me sternly. "I mean it. At least while you're drawing." "Will it make you feel better?" He ducked his head to take a drag off his cigarette. "Yes." "Alright." We sat quietly in the dark night, watching the city for a while longer before we both decided it was time to head inside.

I pulled on the end of my blouse, smoothing the wrinkles for the umpteenth time in the last hour. "Hey, guess what?" Asked Damian from his seat beside me on the train. "What?" "You look fine, leave it alone." I rolled my eyes. I'd pulled the shirt from what used to be my work attire, hoping it would do. A dark, pewter blue in color, it was a button up shirt with a stylish silver belt. Instead of the slacks I usually wore with it, I picked my best pair of jeans. My hair was twisted into a messy knot, with sticks holding it in place. Deezer looked up from his spot in my backpack and gave a happy grin. "Is it true? Do I look good Deez?" Scratching the large ears on the top of the dog's head, I waited for our stop. The estate wasn't that far from the stop, and now that we were off the train, Deezer could walk the rest of the way. "Can we look for a car soon?" Asked Damian, a bit winded as I pressed the button for the gate. "Yea, I was thinking the same thing actually... I'll ask Seto if he has a free day next week." "Why does he have to come?" "Do you know anyone else contract savvy? Besides I _may_ not be able to _read_ Japanese as well as I speak it..." I gave a wince. "Even that's kind of rough." "They probably have English contracts." "We are in Japan D, they shouldn't have too." I gave him a firm look as we finished our assent to the door. "Talk to Mokuba about maybe helping you learn the language, huh? He's a smart kid, I'm sure he could teach you." "That's not a bad idea." I smiled as I knocked on the door. Mina answered with a bright smile, as always. "Hello miss." She parted the door and we made our way in. "Masters Seto and Mokuba are-" "Right here." I looked up and felt a swarm of butterflies take flight in my stomach. As good as he looked in a suit and tie, he looked even better out of it. His long legs were covered by dark jeans, with a smooth button up to match. To protect against the chill outside, he'd chosen a long white coat. **(AN: Think style of duelist kingdom, with the colors from battle city.)** "You ready?" He asked kindly as he pressed his shoes on. I nodded and looked to Damian, handing over the backpack with Deezer's things. "His kibble and stuff is in there." "Okay." Said the teen dismissively. "Be good." "Absolutely not." I rolled my eyes and looked to Mokuba with a smile. "What about you?" "No promises." Looking to the Corgi at my feet I tried again. "What about you? You gonna be good? Huh?" A happy bark left the animal as he propped up on my legs to give my hands a lick as I scratched him goodbye. "Well... one out of three isn't bad." Said Seto with a smirk before looking to Mina. "Call us if you need anything." "Of course." She smiled. "Just _go_. We'll be fine." Pressed Damian. My eyes narrowed suspiciously, but I let it go, looking to the CEO. "Ready?" He nodded and grabbed a case by the door. Following him out, instead of a car waiting like I'd grown used too, we headed for the side of the large mansion. "I didn't want to bother Roland, he said his grandson's birthday was this weekend." He said as he punched a code into a side gate, allowing it to pull back and show rows and rows of sleek looking cars of all styles and brands. "You know how to drive?" I nearly flinched at the unfiltered question when he smirked, reaching into his pocket. "What's the use of having all these toys if you can't play with them?" Fair enough. Clicking a button on the fob, the lights on a black corvette flashed.

"Did you have anywhere you wanted to go?" I shook my head, brushing my bangs back. "Dealer's choice." "Alright." The engine of the powerful car purred as he pulled out into the street. My hands were in my lap to stop them from fidgeting, and for once I found myself with a lack of things to say. The silence grew between us, and while I normally had no problem talking with the blue eyed man, the nervousness got the better of me. Finally as we reached town, he looked over. "Are you okay?" I blinked and looked back. "Yea, why?" "You're quiet..." I sighed and looked back down to my lap. "I'm nervous." I admitted, a blush tinting my cheeks. "Hanging out in my apartment is one thing, but this..." " _You_ asked _me_." He said with a chuckle as he looked back to switch lanes. "I know, and when I asked you it was _exactly_ what I wanted." "Do you not want too?" His tone had switched from humor to his neutral monotone. "Of course I do." The answer was instant, leaving no question to it's honesty. "But." He pressed. "I just... don't want to embarrass you." I mumbled, looking out the window to avoid that bright stare. "Oh come on." I felt my brows pin and anger swell as he dismissed my fears. "What? Is that _really_ what's bothering you?" He switched lanes and took the next exit, shaking his head. "Yes! Believe it or not Seto, you're quite the celebrity here." "Does that matter to you?" "No!" "Then why does it bother you?" I found myself without a response as he pulled over into a parking spot. "Milo, there is nothing you could do that could embarrass me." My brows lifted, and he snorted, putting the car in park. "Don't challenge me on that, but it doesn't matter." "Because you do what you want?" I asked, tiny smile slowly growing. "That's exactly right." He smirked.

He'd chosen the cafe across from Kaiba Corp, and I was actually very impressed with his choice, as we were both familiar with it's menu. "What _is_ that." I asked, nose wrinkling as I poked a ring with my sticks. "It's calamari. Try it." He said, pushing it a bit closer. "No, I don't think so." "Come on, try it." "What's it taste like?" "Fish?" I snorted. "Really." "Tastes a little like lobster. Come on, just one bite." "That is a _tentacle._ " He smirked, looking to me expectantly. "Alright. One bite." I brought the end of one up and with one last uncertain look towards the CEO, took a bite. While it was well cooked, I felt myself struggling to swallow. Giving a clear look of distaste, I took a drink to follow it. He laughed, and the sound of it instantly made me feel better. "It's an acquired taste." "I'm seeing that." I replied, a smile of my own on my face.

"The park's not far from here, want to walk? I ate too much." I groaned, rubbing my full stomach. "Sure." He said with a rumble, reaching into his pocket for his keys. "Just need one thing." As he popped the trunk, I saw the case he'd grabbed on his way out. Inside was a duel disk, already loaded with his deck. "Couldn't just watch." He explained, fixing the disk to his wrist. "Of course not." I replied, smile in place. It would be nice to see the man in action. In my research into his Blue Eyes I'd seen quite a few videos of his duels, but the thought of seeing the mighty beast projected on a hologram, I'll admit had me excited. As expected, the park was full of people dueling, especially with it being a weekend. Monsters of all types, shapes, and colors. "See anyone worth my time?" Asked the man, hands in his pockets. "Hmm, not really..." My eyes scanned the park, before I spotted it. A large black dragon with red eyes. I'd been wanting to see that one in person as well. I'd found footage, and had enough of an idea to paint it, but I wanted to _see_ it. Taking off around the various duels, I came up on a blond haired man wielding it, facing off against a younger teen. "Now Red Eyes! Take the last of his life points!" As the creature dealt out it's attack, the younger sighed and pouted. "Fine...you win." As the holograms faded I looked to the blond. "Wait, can you bring it back up? I want to see." "My Red Eyes?" I nodded. "I'm an artist, I just want to see." "Sure..." He reactivated the card, and I felt wonder as I stared at it. "Milo, you can't just run off." I looked back at my date and smiled. "Sorry Seto, but look! Isn't it cool?!" I walked around to the front of the creature, my size dwarfed by the sheer size of it. "It's mediocre, like it's owner." "Kaiba! What are you doing here?" I looked over to see the owner of the Red Eyes glaring at the blue eyed man. "Looking for a challenge. Looks like I'm in the wrong place." "It's good to see you, Kaiba." I saw a short, spiky haired boy standing beside the blond and cocked my head. Was that natural? "Indeed. It has been quite some time." I blinked at the sight of another just like the first, this one with blond weaved into the spikes. Wait, there were two? "Yugi, Yami." My brows lifted. Yugi Moto? That was a familiar name. A few years back his name had been all over, even in the States. "Who are you?" The blond looked to me, and I just smiled. "Like I said, I'm an artist. I like seeing the holograms." "You with Mr. Personality?" "I am! I'm Milo." I said, politely, going around to offer a hand. Giving me an odd look, the blond man gave his own in return. "Joey Wheeler." "You American?" He nodded. "New York." "Me too! I'm from Denver." That had his unease settled a bit. "Really? Cool! How did you end up with ice prince?" "Joey." Scolded the smaller of the two twins. "I'm Yugi." He replied, offering his hand to me. "Yugi." I shook his hand, offering one too his match. "Yami." "Yami? I'm Milo. Pleasure." I looked to Seto, who looked a bit annoyed, arms crossed across his chest. Was he pouting? "Let's go Milo." "Why? Didn't you want to duel?" His brow rose, and a smirk came over his features. "I can think of better opponents then some third-rate duelist." "What's wrong Kaiba? You scared?" Taunted Joey. I returned to the blue eyed man's side. "Please? I really want to see you duel..." I puffed out my lower lip. "Besides, the thought of seeing your Blue Eyes against his Red Eyes..." I turned to look at the dragon still illuminated before us. "I could paint the shit out of that..." A deep rumble left Seto's chest as he leaned to whisper in my ear. "Fine... but you owe me." I grinned. "I can live with that." A confident smirk came over the man's lips as he looked to the blond. "Alright Wheeler. Looks like it's your lucky day." "Well, luck's kinda my thing Kaiba." Said Joey, pulling his Red Eyes from the disk to shuffle it in his deck.

I would get my wish. "Isn't it amazing?" I whispered, more to myself then anything. "They _do_ like each other...to some degree." Said Yami, watching the pair throw not only monsters at one another, but barbs and comments. I chuckled, reaching into my purse. "The boys _are_ funny, but I meant the dragons." Finding my phone, I started the camera and snapped a few shots. "Just look at them... the Blue Eyes is so... sleek, modern. Where the Red Eyes is sharp, and almost archaic in style..." I studied the pair, memorizing every detail. "I know that's probably how they're supposed to be, but I can't help it. I love contrast." I gave a smile, only to get one in return. "Much like their masters." Said Yugi, drawing a chuckle from his twin and I. "It would appear so." As the blond played Graceful Dice, I watched the dice roll, and an idea for the VR came to mind. Looking to Seto, I saw it hit home with him too. Summoning me with a curl of the finger, the blue eyed man leaned down. "Could you draw that?" He pointed to the six sided dice. "Yea... I could even animate it." "You thinking what I'm thinking?" "Personalized dice? How _awesome_ is that?" I dug into my purse, pulling out my tablet. "Hey Kaiba! You forget you're in the middle of a duel?" Taunted Wheeler. "No... I just didn't care." Quipped the CEO. "Be nice." I muttered, looking to the tablet, already scribbling over the surface.

Seto would, ultimately, win the duel, and while he rubbed it in his opponent's face, I spoke to the twins. "We're working on a new game, it's based around Duel monsters, but a bit more involved... Would you be interested in testing it? When it's ready of course..." "Sure!" Spoke the shorter, a bright smile on his face. "We're always looking for new games, aren't we Yami?" The taller nodded. "Yes, we've had some experience with Kaiba's virtual reality before." "Even better." "Let's go. This dog's rabid." Said Seto, a hand coming to rest over my hip. "Okay. It's been a pleasure meeting you all." I said, giving them a bright smile as the blue eyed man and I started back through the park. "Did you get what you wanted to see?" He asked, tone almost gentle compared to the one he'd been using to brag to the blond man. I gave a smile. "Yes! Thank you Seto." I summoned him to a bench and sat down, pulling out the tablet. "I started this too..." I tilted my rough drawing of a 20- sided dice. "I was going to talk to the VR team about adding textures. Some dice have a marble design on them, or different colors blended together." "I like it." I felt a pride in my work grow. "We'll make it part of the character creation." "And use side quests to unlock different colors and styles... That's so cool. You're so clever." "Pretty clever yourself you know..." I felt a blush rushing to my ears, and ducked my stare to tuck some bangs behind my ear. "I mean it Milo, you're..." My brows lifted as I waited for him to finish. "I couldn't have done this without you..." A finger brought my chin up and without a second thought I lined my lips up with his. He really _was_ a million dollar kisser, I'm not sure if it's the almost polite nature of his tongue, waiting for mine to respond, or his hands. Those hands were _always_ doing something. Stroking my cheek, playing with my ear, tucking back hair. "You think her tongue gets stuck? Like Tristan when he stuck his to the dumpster last year?" A deep grunt left my date, a glare already fixed as he turned to see the blond and twins heading out of the park. "It's not all rawhides and leg-humping mutt." "Watch it Kaiba." "I'm busy watching something else." Said Seto, cupping my chin and turning those bright eyes back to me. "Aren't you smooth?" I said with a chuckle. "You tell me."

Tension continued to rise as we headed back for the Estate. Not the bad kind, not kind that turned awkward, the hot kind. The kind that made you want to brush against the other, just to see what would happen. "Thank you for the good time Seto. That was nice." "It was, wasn't it." As he pressed a key into the lock and the door opened. "Doesn't have to be over though." He murmured as he loomed over me. "It doesn't, huh?" "Nope..." As his lips returned to mine, I felt my lids droop as one of those large hands found my hips and squeezed. Burning butterflies swooped in my stomach and as a deep groan left the man, I couldn't stop my own to match it. Shoving ourselves inside, we ended up on the backside of the large door, my hands sliding under his coat to pull him flush. One of his arms wrapped around behind me, cradling my head in his palm as we parted to catch our breath, his lips moving over the expanse of my neck. A soft curse left me, and a thick tingling ran down my spine. "Let's go..." He murmured against my skin, his hand finding mine.


	20. Chapter 20

**Wow! I'm still going! It's been a while since I've written this much, I'm having fun :) If you are enjoying the story please let me know! Favorite and Review! BB**

Through the maze of halls we went, half crazed in lust, not finished with the other. When we did finally make it to the blue eyed man's room, I found my back pressed quickly to a lush king sized. Confused hands tried to work without eyes to guide as we tugged on each others clothing. Growing irritated, I hummed as buttons popped off his shirt. "Having trouble?" He rumbled, a smirk kissing down my collarbone. "I'm sure you're heartbroken over it." A deep chuckle escaped him. "I might be." "Oh my goodness, however can I make it up to you?" "I'll let you know." His body was lean, but not thin, sinews of muscle stopped any sharp angles of bone from protruding too far. Long fingers swept over the buttons to my own shirt, making quick work of them. Where his was rigid, mine wasn't. A soft set of curves kept my figure, littered with tattoos and scars. As we leaned to be rid of the offending shirts, a spike of fear locked me tight. "What's wrong?" I was going to answer when a sharp scream echoed through the mansion. A sobering wash of worry caused us both to freeze and look at the other. "That sounded like one of the boys." We were moving instantly. "Mokuba's room is this way." Taking my hand, he tugged me in the right direction. Throwing open the door, shock came over us both at the scene inside.

The large, paneled window was broken, a standing lamp was knocked over, flickering. The TV was playing something mindless, but casting a bright light over the room. "Damian? Mokuba?" I called. "Seto? Milo?" Mokuba's face poked out from behind a tilted desk. "Mokuba! Are you okay?" Asked Seto as his brother headed for him. "Where's Damian?" "I'm here." I saw my brother crawl out from the closet. "What happened?" "Someone broke in..." Said Mokuba, wrapping and arm around the blue eyed man, seeking comfort. "What did they want?" I asked, looking over a cut on Damian's face. "I don't know... They grabbed for me, but Deezer attacked them." The boy's looked at each other. "Deezer took off after him." Said Damian. "We have to go get him Seto! He could be hurt!" "Alright, alright, we'll go, you two go to my room, and _lock the door._ " Said the blue eyed man firmly. "No! We need to find him!" Said Mokuba, a frown on his lips as he went to dig through his desk. "I think I've got a few flashlights in here." "Mokuba-" "Besides, you're not going anywhere dressed like that..." Said the younger Kaiba, a small smirk on his lips. "Where you guys busy?" Asked Damian, giving me a smug look. "Shut up." I grunted, turning away to refasten the shirt. "I seem to be missing a few..." Said Seto softly, causing a deep blush to run over my nose. "Sinful." Said Damian, taking one of the flashlights offered. "Let's go." Making our way over the broken glass littering the room, we split up to look for the dog. "Deezer!" Echoed across the lawns, until finally, I saw it. A small loaf, curled up by the gates. "Deezer!" Running over, I felt my heart break. The little dog was obviously in pain, a tiny whimper leaving him with every breath. Blood splattered his coat, but I couldn't be sure if it was his or the perpetrators. "Deezer? Hey buddy, Mommy's here. Look, so is D." I crooned, drawing the tiniest wiggle of his backside. "Go get Seto and Mokuba. See about borrowing a car. He needs help." My brother nodded and took off across the lawn for the brothers. "It'll be okay honey. I promise. Whatever happens. You are such a good boy." Large ears ticked up. "Yes, a good boy. You saved the boys. A good guard dog." I leaned down and pressed kisses to his face. "Is he okay?" Asked Mokuba as they came up, the light from the flashlights allowing me to see a bit clearer. "I'm not sure... He needs looked at." I looked to Seto desperately. "Do you have a car to take us to the vet?" "It's on the way. For now let's get him inside." Bending down, the elder Kaiba gently scooped the injured pup into his arms.

Wrapping Deezer into a blanket for the ride, Damian and I escorted the dog to the nearest emergency vet clinic, which unfortunately was close to 45 minutes down the road into the next town. Waiting for the vet was excruciating, but when we did finally get in to see them, it was better then expected. A few broken ribs from what would probably be a heavy boot, and a few broken teeth from when he'd bitten his attacker, but other then that, he would be okay. I called Seto to share the news. _"_ _How's he doing?"_ "He'll be okay. Few broken teeth, but he's a trooper... You find out what happened?" _"_ _From what Mokuba said is that while they were playing video games they heard a tap on the window. When they went over to look whoever it was smashed it and broke in."_ "That's what I got from D too... What where they after?" _"_ _Hard to say... but if I had to guess it would be the boys."_ "Why?" _"_ _There's a hundred different rooms they could have broken into if they wanted to steal stuff. They went for Mokuba's room."_ I sighed. "I was worried about that..." _"_ _I'll increase security. Have them figure out where he got in."_ "What good is that going to do? They'll be back." _"_ _And we'll be waiting."_ "Seto no... please, don't stay there while they're looking for who did this." _"_ _What, you want us to stay with_ _ **you**_ _?"_ "If that's what it takes for you to be safe, then absolutely." His side of the line went quiet as my words sunk in. _"_ _I'll have Mokuba pack a bag... if nothing else, he will be safer with you."_ "What about you?" _"_ _We'll see..."_ I sighed. I knew better then to argue. _"_ _Make sure they send us the invoice for Deezer's care."_ "Seto..." _"_ _Not a word about it Milo. He was guarding_ _ **my**_ _house, and_ _ **my**_ _brother, it's the least I can do."_ "Alright..." _"_ _That's my girl. Mokuba will meet you at home in an hour."_ "We'll start heading that way in a minute. Just packing the pup up." _"_ _Alright. I'll talk to you soon."_ "Okay...thanks Seto." I hung up and went about getting the dog back home.

The lock to the door flipped open and I looked over from where I was cuddled with the snuggly dog on the couch. The Kaiba brothers stepped through the doorway and into the living room, each with a bag in their hand. "Hey guys." I greeted, reaching a hand back for the blue eyed man. "Hey...How's he feeling?" Asked Seto, setting his case down and leaning over the back of the couch to press a kiss to my cheek. "Okay... he'll feel bad for a bit while he heals, but in the mean time, he'll be spoiled rotten." I looked to him. "You change your mind? Are you staying too?" "I... Might have been persuaded." I gave a tiny smile and pressed a soft kiss to his lips before looking to Damian. "Why don't you go get Mokuba set up in your room? There should be a spare bed roll in the closet." "Sure." As they headed down the hall, I heard a rumble in my ear. "And what about me? Do I need to get the extra bed roll?" I smirked and looked back. "I don't actually own _another_ one... I guess you'll have to sleep in _my_ bed." "Oh no, what will I do?" "Not hog the covers or you'll end up out here with Deezer." He rumbled and pressed a soft kiss to my temple.

I had a night time ritual since Damian had returned home. I usually checked on him, checked the doors and windows, and got a bottle of water. Checking on the boys, I found them out cold. Heading for my bedroom, I found the CEO already in bed, a laptop open and propped on his legs. "The boys are out cold. So's the dog." I said with a chuckle, pulling out the stool for a vanity in the corner and sitting down. "They had a long day, it honestly doesn't surprise me." He replied, fingers never pausing. "What a mess." I pulled a brush from one of the drawers and started combing out my tangles. "It's not that bad. Nobody was seriously hurt. You said the vet was hopeful about Deezer. Could have been a lot worse." "That's true." I sighed as I put my hair into a braid. "So what's wrong?" "Nothing, I'm okay. Just worried about you guys." Using a wet wipe to clear off any make-up and dirt, I tossed it and stood. "You don't have to worry about us. Not the first time." "And you wonder why I worry." I said with a chuckle as I plugged my phone in. "It's really not a big deal... Normally I get a hotel when something like this happens anyway." "Well there's no room service here." I said with a snort as I pulled back the covers and slipped beneath. "No, there's something better." I felt a gentle hand brush back a lock of hair behind my ear. Looking back, I pressed a kiss to his knuckles. Giving a wide yawn, I flopped back to my pillow. "Don't stay up too late." I mumbled around it. "Goodnight Milo." "G'night Seto."


	21. Chapter 21

**This is still a work in progress so please favorite and review! BB**

 **I don't own Yugioh or it's characters**

I dozed off quickly, but images from tonight, seem to replay, bending, blending and molding to previous ones. _"_ _Deezer! Deezer, are you okay?" I ran over to the injured dog and looked up. The scene shifted suddenly, and instead of looking to where Damian should be, I was looking up and seeing my mother. "Why do you need a fucking dog anyway? It's just another mouth to feed!" "I'll feed him! He's not hurting anything!" "Get_ _ **rid**_ _of it Milo. Or I will." Her hands reached down, expanding and hardening to show sharp, hawk-like talons. "Please mommy! Please!" I heard the dog whimper and yowl as it was yanked out of my grip. "No! Don't take him! No don't take him! Don't take him!" The sharp sting across my cheek, burned-_ I snapped awake, and the feel of arms wrapped around my form just brought fear. I gave a hard shove and dropped to the floor, shaking and confused. Slowly sitting up, I gathered my bearings. A hard shiver ran up my back as I sighed. Taking another deep breath, I ran back my damp bangs. "That...fucking _witch._ Even dead she finds ways to mess with me..." I groaned and rubbed my face. Getting to my feet, I picked up my phone. "I'm getting some air..." Silently slipping out of my room, I peeked into the boy's room. Still out. Heading out into the living room, I grabbed my jacket off the back of the couch. Looking back as I slid open the door, I saw the blue eyed man crouched beside the corgi's bed, giving a heavy pat to the animal's head and a quiet 'Nemuru inu.' A simple, 'Sleep dog.' in Japanese. I'd never spoken to Deezer in Japanese, but the animal still gave a deep sigh and settled right back in. Clad in sleep pants and a robe, he slipped out behind me. "You okay?" I nodded, reaching into the bucket. "Just a bad dream. I really shouldn't be surprised after the night everyone's had..." I said, passing the pack over. "Did you really pack a robe?" "And I used it." He replied with a tiny smirk. Leaning a hip on the side railing, I rocked my head back to shake my hair out. "What did you want to be when you grew up?" His brow lifted. "I mean, did you just wake up like... screw being a fireman, I want to run a fortune 500 company." He laughed a bit and shrugged. "Mokie and I wanted to run our own theme park." I had to smile. "What about you? You always like drawing?" "I actually didn't. For a long time." I flicked the ash off my cigarette. "I was pretty good at it, don't get me wrong, I mean my stick figures were _amazing._ " I flashed a grin. "I just didn't know what I liked drawing... But when I was in highschool, I started learning about D and D, and I realized what it was like to picture what you wanted... After that I always had a sketch pad. That book I gave you, has all of them. I liked to watch how far I'd gotten." "I can understand that..." "Do you?" "Sometimes I watch footage of my old duels... Come up with different strategies with the same deck..." "I bet you're _amazing_ at chess." His brows lifted. "Why do you say that?" "You're always four moves ahead. That hamster in your noggin has to be exhausted." "What about a hamster?" His brows pinned and I laughed a bit. "It's a metaphor." He thought about it a bit. "Oh! Oh, I see." He cracked a small smile and I found myself once again transfixed on how handsome he was when he did.

When I rolled over, it was to an unfamiliar alarm. It was loud, and one of the most awful things I'd ever heard in my life. "Wake the devil with that noise." I growled, looking over to see a sleepy eyed CEO lighting up his phone. "Sorry." He flicked it off, and yawned, scratching at his head. "What time is it?" I leaned over to look at my phone. "About 4." "We went to bed an hour ago." "I know." "Fuck that." I rolled over and snuggled back in. "It's Saturday." He rumbled and I felt him sit up. "Where you going?" I mumbled into the blankets. "Getting up." "Why?" "I got to work." "Call in." He snorted. "What are they gonna do? Call your boss?" He shook his head. "I have to talk to the head of the VR department today." "It's Saturday." He looked over. "So?" "Did you really call in the head of the VR department to come meet with you on a Saturday? Nobody works on Saturday." "I do." I groaned and rolled over, flopping a pillow in his direction. "But even _you_ admit you work too much." "I need to talk to him, this was the day I had open." "What time do you meet him?" "Two." "And you're up...now." He looked back and I gave him a clear look of disapproval. "I-" "When was the last time you even _got_ more then 4 hours?" He rolled his eyes and I glared. "Come back to bed Seto." "Milo..." " _Seto_." We stared at one another and he finally sighed and eased back to the bed. "Okay... A few more hours." "Glad we could compromise." I mumbled, snuggling with his form.

When I woke next, I was alone. Stretching and crawling out of bed, I found everyone camped out in the living room. The boys had cereal in their laps, and the CEO had found and used my coffee pot, a paper on one side with his laptop on the other. "Morning sis." I looked to my brother and yawned. "You guys get enough to eat or are you still hungry?" "I could eat." Said Damian. "Alright. What about you boss man? You hungry?" I said, coming up behind him and pressing a kiss to the crown of his head. "No." "Omelet it is." Heading around the table I gathered a few things from the fridge. "You don't have too." Said the blue eyed man, draining his coffee and standing. "It's alright." Coming into the kitchen, I felt him press close behind me. "Yes?" "I'm not hungry." "Well it's a good thing I've got plenty, huh?" "I don't want you going to extra trouble for us..." "What trouble? It's breakfast." " _Milo_." "What?" I turned to face him and smirked. "I'm just as stubborn as you, so you might as well sit back down and wait for a plate." "Alright... one condition." "What's that?" He leaned in and brought a hand up to my chin. "We go out again..." I had to smile. "I could probably swing that... What were you thinking?" "Oh no, that wasn't part of it." My brows lifted and I smirked. "So I don't get to know?" He shook his head. "Think you can handle it?" I turned and pressed a soft kiss to his fingers. "I guess we'll see."

"Seto I thought you had to talk to the VR department today." I said as I started in on the dishes. "It's a video call, I'm going to call him in a minute." "Is it Noa?" Asked Mokuba suddenly, turning from where he sat on the couch. Seto nodded and the black haired boy shot up to sit next to his brother. "Noa's our step-brother." My brows lifted and looked to Seto for confirmation. "Gozoburo had a son when we were adopted." Said the elder Kaiba. "Oh... and he's head of the VR department..." I said slowly. "Well, he might as well be. See, he lives _in_ a virtual reality-ow." I raised a brow as the sharp elbow of the elder brother jabbed at the younger. "Wait, what?" "It's a long story." "One I'm _sure_ you're willing to tell me about." "I will..." Giving a clear look of disbelief, I turned and to finish the dishes. "Hey..." I looked back once more to find the bright eyed CEO looking a bit uneasy. "I _will_." "I believe you. Go ahead, make your call." I reassured, although to be fair, I wasn't going to be upset with him for withholding personal information, even if I _was_ curious. "Go ahead and call him." Said Seto, standing and coming into the kitchen for the last cup of coffee. "Don't be upset with me." He murmured. "I'm not upset with you." "That's funny, because that's exactly what I think you are." I gave him a dirty look. "I _was_ going to tell you about Noa. I just... wasn't sure how." "Why is that?" I asked expectantly. "It's complicated." "Well that takes care of it." "No! Please Milo." The please is what had me. He was asking me to be patient. "Please, I'm trying." He stepped in and gave me a simple embrace, pressing his lips to my forehead. "I'm not very good at this." He said with a sigh. "To be fair, I'm pretty rusty on how this whole thing works..." "You know what doesn't help?" "What?" He leaned down, lips just brushing the rim of my ear as he spoke. "How close I came to having you..." A deep blush started across my nose. A deep rumble left his chest as he pressed a kiss to my neck before turning back to where his brother was speaking to Noa, but that all too familiar Kaiba smirk on his lips.

"Okay, okay, okay, it's been hours. Move over." Mokuba grinned and got up, giving the screen a wave. "Your dinner is going to get cold." I said to Seto as I adjusted the computer. On it's screen sat a green haired boy, a smile on his face. "Hi, I'm Milo. We haven't met directly, but I do...this." I held up the tablet, showing one of many drawings sent to the VR department. _"_ _Ah! Yes! So nice to meet you! I was wondering where Seto was getting his work."_ I gave a grin. "That's me. I've actually been needing to have a sit down with you." _"_ _Really? What about?"_ "I was talking." Muttered Seto. "Now it's my turn. Go eat before it gets cold." I said firmly. "I _am_ your boss." "Fire me." Those sharp blue eyes glared and while I was still a bit intimidated by the ice in them, I just cocked my head. " _You_ asked me to head the Art Department. That means collaborating with the VR department." I tapped a bit on my tablet. "Even if he's only like...ten. _And_ I worked hard on dinner _and_ you didn't touch breakfast. You need to eat." A grumble left the elder Kaiba as he stood up. "Okay, so Seto and I came up with this dice idea? Did he tell you about it?" The green haired boy nodded. "This is what I have... it's really rough." I held up the tablet, and flicked the image. "I can't get the movement I want, could you show me the easiest way to get a natural look to these?" _"_ _I could make that easily. Just look."_ The boy held up a hand and in it appeared a 6- sided dice. "What about a twenty sided?" _"_ _I'm not totally familiar with those, but if you sent me some footage of a roll, I could do a lot with that."_ "Really? Marvelous. I'll do that. We were thinking of making it customizable for each player." _"_ _That would be really cool."_ "That's what I thought." "Having fun?" Commented the blue eyed man dryly, bowl in his hand, filled with rice and beef. "How's that rice? Might be a little soggy from _sitting_." I rolled my eyes and looked back to the tablet. "Now, I could easily make a dice copy, that's no issue. Any color, style, pattern, but it needs to look right when it rolls, you know? I can't make it work." _"_ _That's the problem working on a flat surface. The nice part about VR is you are more or less working in 3-D. So things like dice that have a weight, and a consistency have an easier time of it. Don't stress!"_ He gave me a kind smile. _"_ _You've got so much going on, why don't you let me worry about the dice."_ "So what can I do to help you out?" _"_ _I haven't received any images of some plot characters. There's a royal family I haven't seen anything about, a witch, two allies, like traveling companions, and the big bad."_ "Alright... I think I have it all." I said, looking at the list scribbled on my tablet. "And I'll have at least one for you and that dice footage by the end of next week." _"_ _Great! My my! This has been wonderful! We'll have to do this again."_ Said the boy with a kind smile. "Agreed, it's nice to have a game plan. I'll talk to you next week?" _"_ _Sounds good. Bye Seto, bye Mokuba."_ "Bye Noa!" Called Mokuba from the living room. As the screen flicked closed, I looked to the blue eyed man who was finishing his dinner. "I guess it would be... _prudent_ for you two to be communicating." "It's okay, don't choke on it." I said, patting his thigh. He didn't have to say anything, just gave that cocky smirk. "Don't say it." He just held out his bowl as I got up. "Is there more?" Giving him a smile, I took it to be refilled.

The boys and I would end up around the couch that night, with popcorn and more snacks then we could ever eat. Watching the first movie that came up that looked decent, I offered an invitation to the blue eyed man. "Come on Seto, it'll be fun." "I haven't got anything done today. Since _you_ made me sleep in." I'm sure it was meant to be a joke, but I couldn't help but be a little offended. "Well that's funny because I didn't hear of Kaiba Corp burning down because you slept in." I said, leaving him to his laptop and rejoining the boys. There was a clicking of keys, a deep sigh, and the sound of the dining room chair scraping. The couch bounced as he flopped down, lifting his arm over the back of the couch and looking at me expectantly. A victorious smile in place, I snuggled in close. "You're a bad influence." He murmured softly as to not disturb the two on the floor in front of us. "Oh no, I don't think so." "Really." I looked over and smirked. "I'm sorry I make you remember that you're human." I squeezed his chin. "Poor thing."


	22. Chapter 22

**Thanks for reading! If you like the story, favorite and review! Thanks so much for reading.**

 **I don't own yugioh or it's characters.**

That night, even though I persuaded the CEO to turn in at a decent time, I couldn't sleep. Pictures and ideas, both good and bad whipped through my mind, causing me to toss and turn. Unwilling to disturb the exhausted man, I quietly climbed out of bed and silently slipped out into the living room. Flicking on the TV, I grabbed my tablet and connected it to the large screen. What started out as a scribble soon changed, the image of a hag emerging from the mess. Mokuba would be the first to awaken. Stepping out and dropping down to where I sat on the floor, he yawned and looked up. "What are you doing up?" I asked quietly. "Bad dream... Usually Seto is up, but..." "You want to talk about it?" The boy shrugged. "It's just a dream." "Dreams can be scary though..." I defined the woman's face, adding a set of eyes the same color as my own, but her hair was a flat, matted gray. "Something about a place you can't control, in a land that knows your worst fears. Knows what buttons to push..." In the crook of the hags arm, I drew a bottle, in her hand sat a book, her long fingernails arched against the surface. "But in the end Mokuba, they're just dreams... and you can take those, and turn them into anything." I paused and looked over at the tired boy. "Turn that fear into strength. Heartache into lessons. It's tough, but if your sort through all the crap, you're brain's trying to tell you something." "What do yours tell you?" "How to forgive. Not only myself and what I've done, but others... people who've hurt me. They test me, and tell me that I still have a long way to go." The hag's robes were solid, but held rips and tears. Her free hand was arched, it's claw-like talon pointing at something on the page of the book. On her wrist sat a butterfly, it's color faded and worn. The sound of the toilet flushing had me looking back to see a sleepy eyed Damian. Pausing as he came into the living room, he looked at the screen and squinted. "Why did you draw Mom?" Looking to Mokuba, I gave a tiny smirk. "Sometimes I find ways to deal."

"You're welcome to stay as long as you need guys." I said with a soft smile as Damian pouted beside me on the couch. "We think we found where they came in, and I've got security on high alert. They fixed the window so I think we'll be okay." Said Seto, setting his bag by the door with his brother's. "Well if you're sure." I stood to bid them goodbye, giving a hug to the younger brother before doing the same to the blue eyed man. His lips pressed to mine briefly before leaning to whisper in my ear. "I left you something. As a thank you." "Oh really?" A deep rumble left him as he gave a quick peck to my cheek. "See you soon." As they parted, I found myself unable to wait. Heading to my room, I found a bag sitting on the foot of my bed, a box beside it. Pulling out the tissue paper, I felt my heart pound as I pulled out what was inside. It was a _beautiful_ black dress. "What is it?" I looked up to see Damian in my doorway, sucking on a pocky stick. "It's a dress." "Really? You sure it's big enough? You kinda got a big a-" I threw one of my pillows his way and he ran down the hall cackling. Trying it on, I found myself mesmerized. It fit like a glove, hugging my curves in all the right ways. The straps looped back behind my neck in a criss cross fashion, exposing just enough of my back to keep it sultry. The end of the dress stopped about half way down my thigh, showing off my long legs. Looking back to the box, I popped it open to find a pair of heels and a note nestled inside.

You said you didn't have a cocktail dress, so I took the liberty of acquiring you one. You'll need it. Friday, 6 PM. I'll pick you up.

SK

Feeling my heart race, I looked at myself in the mirror. I looked beautiful. A tattoo from last year sat on the back of my calf, showing a black colored koi, curled as if switching directions. Black koi showed power. The power to over come and fight, to over come obstacles in life. If the fish is swimming up, it shows the battle is ongoing, if it's swimming down, it shows you conquered your demons, and are now riding with the current. My depressions, and addictions were ongoing, and battles I knew I would fight for years to come, so I showed it in an arched position, still fighting, but on the cusp of victory. It was beautiful work, even better then the ink I'd gotten in the states. I wonder if he knows about that one? Giving myself a smirk in the mirror, I started to take off the dress. I guess he will soon. Although one thing _was_ clear. He _definitely_ had a designer.

The knock on my door was expected, but still I felt nervous. As I parted the door, I let out a sigh at the sight of the younger Kaiba. "Hey Milo! You look great!" The boy gave a wide grin. "Thanks... Where's Seto?" "Downstairs waiting. Damian and I are heading to the movies." I lifted my brows and bent to his level, a suspicious squint his way. "What movie are you seeing?" "The new Star Wars." "Who's driving you?" "Roland." "Where you going after?" "Probably the arcade." We stared at one another a moment before I smirked. "Alright, you can go. He's in his room." "'Kay! Have fun!" He and I swapped spaces and I called out "Midnight!" before the door closed. Making my way downstairs I waved at the doorman before I stepped outside. The blue eyed man was leaned against another sleek car, although this one wasn't quite the hot rod the other was. Tonight he wore a black suit, with a navy blue shirt beneath. Instead of a tie he had the first few buttons open to show a taste of collar bone. I'd spent the first part of the week practicing with the heels to make my decent down the stairs flawless. Judging by the look on his face, that time hadn't been wasted. He'd gone from nonchalant to full attention the moment I stepped out. "Hey." "Hey." He took my hand and pressed a kiss to it. "Don't you look lovely." He murmured. "Looking pretty good yourself there." I said with a smile. Tonight my hair was curled and tousled, a set of dangling gold hoops hanging from my ears, matching the bangles on my wrists. "You ready to go?" I nodded and waited for him to get the door for me. As we rode to the restaurant, I grew steadily more nervous. This would be my first truly public outing with the blue eyed man, and lord knows I hadn't been to anything more classy then an Olive Garden back home. "Quit." I looked over to see his knowing smirk. "You're over thinking things." "I tend to do that." He rumbled and pulled to the line for the valet, the building before us easily one of the finest Domino had to offer. "I'm going to tell you something, and for all your worrying you're going to listen." He grabbed my chin so I would look his way. "You're with me. There's nothing to be embarrassed about." "Who said I was embarrassed?" His brow rose once more and I sighed. "I don't do this sort of thing Seto." "But I _do_... and I want to do it with _you_." That smug smirk grew as he continued. "And that in itself should make you feel special. I chose _you_." He squeezed the chin in his grip before turning to move the car forward. "Where's the woman who brought Kiko to her knees?" He hummed, tapping his thumbs on the steering wheel. " _That's_ a woman." "I know what you're doing." His smirk just grew, tapping the wheel. "Good talk." I said, rolling my eyes. As he pulled up to the Valet and as I waited for my door to open, I took a deep breath and took the blue eyed man's hand, ready to face this new struggle.

Confidence was 20% posture, and 80% attitude. The way you carry yourself is the way you feel about yourself. I'd faced drug dealers ready to have my neck, I'd faced a drunk out for blood, I could face some high collars. "I have a table reserved." Spoke Seto to the host. "Of course Kaiba-Sama right this..." The eyes of the man behind the podium caught mine, and worked down, and instantly changed his tone. "Will you excuse me for just one moment?" Stepping into the back, he returned a moment later with a man dressed in a tux that looked a hair too small. His belt was too tight and I swear I heard the buttons on his shirt crying for help. "What seems to be the problem?" Asked Seto, tone one of clear irritation. "Well, you see..." The man shifted and cleared his throat, giving me a pointed look. "This is about my tattoos, isn't it." I said, feeling shocked and slightly disgusted. "We don't normally have guests with such... _obvious_ modifications. Would you happen to have a jacket?" "You've got to be-" Growled Seto, clearly angry. "Hang on, I've got this." I said, digging into my purse and pulling out two bills and a pen. "Ma'am, this is our policy, money won't-" "I'm not tipping you." I said calmly, drawing a bright star on one of the bills before throwing the pen back into my purse. "You see this?" I held in one hand a blue ¥1000 note. "Yes ma'am." "And you see this?" I held in my other hand a brown ¥10,000 note with a bright star in the center. "Yes ma'am." "Which one is worth more?" "That one ma'am." "Even though I drew on it?" They hesitated. "Answer me." "Yes ma'am..." "That's right... no matter what you put on it, it's still 10,000 yen and _still worth more._ " I tucked the ¥1000 note into his pocket. "You can show us to our table or I'll find one." "T-This way..." A strong arm wrapped itself around my waist and squeezed, and while the blue eyed man didn't say anything, the aura around us was very clear. 'I do what I want.'

The wine was rich, the food to perfection, and the man's company charming. Intentional or not, they'd placed us in a back booth, probably with the intent to hide me from the rest of the restaurant, but it worked in our favor, allowing us to sit beside one another and relax. "You _do_ look beautiful. I picked well." He murmured, our plates gone and our wine just about to follow. "You did _not_ pick this out you liar." "I did." He said, giving me a small smile before sipping his wine. "You think I just sent Roland out for it?" "No, but I had money going you had a designer." He barked out in laughter, almost catching me off guard. "I look that good huh?" "Oh come on, I'm serious. There's no way." "Totally serious." "How?" "Well, my mom taught me how to dress myself, it just kind of went from there." "Oh stop." I said, grin on my face as looked up to the waiter. "Whenever you're ready." He said, setting the bifold on the table with the bill. Watching him go, I smirked into my wine glass. He'd avoided eye contact all night, and the moment he left our table he went to the station with the others and spoke avidly. I had a feeling after tonight Seto and I's relationship, whatever it might be, wouldn't be just between us. Although if the CEO had brought me here he obviously knew that. Slapping a set of bills into the folder the waiter had left behind, the blue eyed man looked my way. "Are you ready to go?" I nodded and replaced my glass back on the table. Ready to see what he had planned next.


	23. Chapter 23

**Warning, for anyone who might be offended, there is a lemon in this chapter. Nothing explicit, but just wanted to give a heads up to anyone that wanted one.**

 **I don't own yugioh or it's characters.**

"You brought me to _work_?" He smirked as he climbed out, coming around to offer me a hand. "You don't think I'd do that to you do you?" "I don't know, you might." We shared a small smile as we climbed the steps and entered the building. Heading for the elevator, he pressed a code into the keypad, and pulled what looked like a duel monster card off his neck and swiped it. _"_ _Access Authorized."_ "Bottom floor." Answered Seto, stepping inside with me right beside. _"_ _Bottom floor."_ The doors closed and I leaned against the railing. "Where we going?" "It's a surprise." "No hint?" "Nope. You'll just have to be _patient._ " "You know I'm not good with that." "That's part of the fun." He pressed a kiss to my lips just as the elevator hit the bottom floor, it's doors sliding open. Taking my hand, he led me through a maze of halls, until finally we came to a room with a large screen and several pod-like structures, wired and bound into the computer. "Where are we?" I asked, tone filled with wonder. "Do you trust me?" My brows lifted at the question, but I answered without hesitation. "Of course I do." He smiled and took my hand, and led me to one of the pods. "Get in." Treading lightly, I stepped inside, feeling nervous and uncertain. What _were_ these? "Hey." My eyes flicked back to him and he brushed my hair back. "You'll be okay. I won't let anything happen to you." Kneeling beside the pod, his hand cupped mine. "Just lay back." "You won't leave me here?" "I'll be right by your side." Swallowing my fear, I laid back. "Close your eyes... take a few deep breaths." I followed his instructions, feeling his lips against my knuckles. "I'm going to shut the lid." I squeezed the hand in my grip. I didn't want him to leave. "Count back from 60. When you hit zero I promise I'll be right there." "You promise." "I haven't let you down yet." Giving a shaky nod, I allowed him to place my hand back in the pod. 60...59...58...

...35...34...33...A sharp pull and a sensation akin to a spinning carnival ride paused my counting, but I kept my eyes firmly shut and tried to resume my counting. 12...11...10... "Boo." Familiar hands cradled my face. Slowly opening my eyes I pressed a soft kiss to his palm. "With ten seconds to spare." "I'm nothing if not punctual." He said with a small smile. I quickly noticed though, that we weren't where we were when I'd closed my eyes less then a moment before. Sunlight streamed through treetops and onto the grass below our feet. I could _feel_ the warmth from it. "Where are we?" I turned to look fully. We were in a forest, that much was clear, but how on earth did we get here? "Welcome to Virtual Reality." I looked back to the blue eyed man in shock. "What?" "Oh come on, you heard me." I looked down, I was wearing exactly what I had been when I entered the pod, and so was he. "Wait, so am I real?" I touched my stomach, almost sure my hand would go right through, but it was solid. "What about you?" He gave a deep chuckle as my hand planted firmly on his chest. "As real as we can be." "This is _amazing_." I bent to touch the grass below, and a gentle hand lifted me back to my feet. "Come on, there's tons more to see." I paused. "Wait, I can't go just go adventuring in virtual reality in Gucci shoes." He gave a smirk. "You are absolutely right... System! Load file Palistine!" _"_ _Loading file Palistine in 3, 2, 1. Complete."_ A shimmering light surrounded us both, and when it cleared, I looked down to see the dress was gone. In it's place I saw a thick set of dark blue armor, and when I moved it, it shined, like an oil slick. Looking at my hip I saw a sword, and I quickly drew it. In it's bright reflection, I saw... Palistine. Awe and wonder crossed her face in the shine from the blade, and as I looked to the blue eyed man, I only felt that feeling grow. There he was, as though he'd stepped right off my canvas. His helmet strapped firmly to his shoulder, and a blade of his own at his hip. "You did this?" "I _might_ have had help." Sheathing my sword, I closed the space between us and gave the man a sound kiss to his lips. A deep rumble left him as he squeezed my waist before pulling back. " _Now_ I think we can go adventuring."

Painting a blade and holding one where two different things, but with his help, and a steady hand, I was able to pick up the basics fairly quickly. We defeated trolls, and goblins, and even a banshee, and I couldn't help but eat up every moment, a smile never leaving my face. As the sun finally set over the digital land, he summoned me to a beach. Building a fire, I looked to the latches on the side of my armor. Almost in the same manner of a canister, each armor plate had a latch that swung forward and loosened a bar that held it in place. A deep sigh escaped me as piece by piece it dropped to the dark sands. "Hey... where's my tattoos?" I asked curiously as I turned my calf. "The pod doesn't scan your skin, just the form, a picture more or less." Explained the blue eyed man as he too took off a few pieces of armor. "I can add them in easily enough if you want." I shook my head, because while my tattoos were missing, so were a number of scars, if not all of them. Taking off the last of the armor, I stretched. Below the heavy metal sat a tunic and breeches, with a simple set of leather boots. "This has been amazing Seto..." I leaned over and picked up his helmet, a smile on my lips as I looked at the fierce fangs of the mighty blue eyes. "It doesn't have to be over..." I broke my stare with the helmet to see him stand, a hand out. Setting aside the armor, I took his palm and stood, allowing him to lead me out towards the surf. The waves were gentle against the shore, almost lazily dragging themselves out and back in. A heavy moon had risen in our time fireside, it's light bathing the beach in a ghostly halo. The water was almost warm, holding just the right temperature to bring goosebumps to my skin as we waded in. When we hit our waist, I gave a bright grin, released his hand and dove in, ready to be fully immersed. The water was crystal clear, with the moon above lighting up the sea bed. Fish swirled around, startled at my sudden intrusion. Coral of all colors dusted the bottom, attached firmly to rocky outcroppings. It was beautiful, and it took a hard burning from my lungs to remember that I didn't belong down there myself. Surfacing, I turned to look for the blue eyed man, only to find him gone. "Seto?" "Boo!" I couldn't stop the shriek that left me, but it was quickly followed by laughter as I turned to face him. "It's beautiful down there!" He gave me a soft smile, and brushed a wet lock away from my face. "It's beautiful up here too." "Oh, come on..." I couldn't stop the burning I felt across my nose. He gave my chin a squeeze. "Go explore, tell me what you find." Giving him a bright smile, I dove once more. It would take several breaths, but I would find some squid, and even a turtle. Looking up from the sea floor, I spotted the brunet floating, his long limbs weightless in the water. A tiny smirk curled my lips, and in my mind I heard the faint sound of the Jaws theme song as I slowly raised myself up towards the surface. Coming to an apex right as I grabbed his foot and pulled. When I did surface I was quickly pulled back below in the same manner I'd just bestowed on him. Arriving back up, I was quickly splashed, the sound of the man's laughter filling my heart with joy, and my stomach with butterflies.

In an avid game of cat and mouse, we took turns diving and chasing the other, until finally we grew tired and content with each other's embrace, swaying with the current. "Milo?" "Hmm?" "I..." He stopped, his arms coming down to wrap around my waist. "I _think_ I..." His brows were pinned and I wrapped my arms around his shoulders. "Shhh..." My hand came up to sooth him like he so often did me, brushing back thick locks away from those gorgeous eyes. "Don't force it." Those bright eyes opened and met mine, and I couldn't help but give a small smile. "It'll happen when it needs too." A soft sigh left him before those lips pressed to mine. A surge of heat poured through my system, and I couldn't help but press myself into the exchange, my hands burying themselves into his hair. As the spark grew, we clumsily made our way to shore, and when we got there we collapsed to it in a heap of limbs. Desperately tugging on our soaked clothing, our mouths only parted to be rid of it. As my wet skin chilled exposed to the air, I broke the exchange to let out a soft gasp. A deep rumble left his chest as he followed the trail of goosebumps down my neck. As his lips wrapped around a perked nipple, a moan left my lips, fingers digging into his bunched shirt. Leaning back to remove it, he was quick to return, switching targets to the other breast while his hands avidly slid down my form. I felt the knot for the breeches loosen, and quickly moved to help, lifting my hips and squirming out of the wet cloth. Pulling up to take in my form fully, I saw true want swirling in those irises. Meeting my lips in another fiery exchange, I felt his hand run down. Following my ribs back, it squeezed as it came over my hip, following the curve down my thigh. My eyes closed as he teased the inside, sending sharp tingles straight for my core. When he did finally touch me, I couldn't stop the mewl that left my lips, back arching sharply. I was already more then ready, but he wasn't content to stop his exploration just yet. Running a finger up, I let out a shout as he found it. "Oh god..." He groaned, face tucking into my neck as he pressed over the small button, sending wave after wave of blinding pleasure through my form. I cried out, fingers buried in the sand as I threw my head, desperate for the relief I knew he could give me. As I sucked in a deep breath, I felt it peak, causing thick tremors to rock through my form. As the lights dimmed from my vision, I pressed my lips to his tugging on the knot for his own breeches. A moan of his vibrated my lips as my hand pressed against his own begging need. When his bare form met mine, I found myself lost for breath, only to gain it right back as he slowly pressed inside. Soft curses fused with the others name left our lips, my hands going to his shoulders as his hips grew flush. Swallowing thickly, I heard his groan as he started to move. Residing pleasure from my previous climax only regrew, and very quickly I was finding myself on the verge of another peak. As my body arched into his, I felt his pace quicken, turning almost desperate and savage. Curling his form over mine, I knew he was close. The thought alone was enough to push me over the edge. A sharp spasm of his muscles and he was right behind, a broken cry barely leaving his lips before he buried them in my neck. As the deep shudders ran through, we slowly caught our breath. Bringing his head up, those soft lips met mine and I couldn't stop a small sigh of contentment from leaving me as we slowly came down together.


	24. Chapter 24

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 **I don't own yugioh**

My eyes snapped open to see the glass of the pod above, the mechanical tiles of the ceiling above showing through. With a sharp hiss, the door lifted and I gingerly sat up. "Nice and easy." A comforting hand came to my back, and bleary eyes looked to see Seto, back in his suit. Looking down I found myself once more in the little black dress. Taking a hold of his hand, he pulled me up. Taking a step out, I found my knees weak, causing my balance to waver in the pointed heels. "It's alright, I've got you... Here, just sit a minute." He said, placing me on the base of the pod. "It's normal your first time." "In the pod or..." He smirked and stood. "Stay put. I'll see what I can find to drink." He stepped away and my first thought was to be rid of the shoes. Toeing out of them, I sighed, curling my toes. "Here. It's not much, but it's all I could find." He held out a water bottle, and I eagerly cracked the top and took a few deep swallows before passing the last half to him. "Alright, let's get vertical." I said, slowly getting to my feet. Without the added trouble from the heels, I found I could just about manage. "Alright!" A wide yawn escaped me and I looked to him as I picked up my shoes. "What time is it?" He gave a tiny snort and offered his arm to aid my trip back. "Just about dawn. So... same as any other time we hang out." I grinned. "I don't know, this time _might_ just be a favorite." "Really? Well then I should feel special." He replied, pressing the call button for the lift. "You really should, but knowing you, you already do." The confidence in his grin pulled a chuckle from my lips as we boarded, ready to head home.

"So... How'd it go?" Asked Damian when I rolled out of bed the next day. I couldn't stop my grin and he made a face. "Aww, eww." He grunted, shoving a plate of toast at me. "Here's your breakfast skeeve." "Rude." I muttered, taking a bite and flicking on the coffee pot before heading for the couch. "But really, where'd he take you?" Asked the teen as he flopped down at the other end. "Some super ritz place I'd never heard of. Food was good though." I chuckled as I took a bite and swallowed. "They didn't like my tattoos. Snooty." I said, poking the end of my nose with my finger. "Okay, so 5 star dinner. What else?" "He showed me the VR tech." I said, wiping my mouth a bit and brushing off some of the crumbs. "What, like goggles or what?" "No, they're these big pods. Almost like something you'd see on a space ship or something. You get in and the next thing you know, _boom_. You're in the middle of a forest." "Nu uh." I definitely had the boy's attention, he'd stopped flicking through the countless channels to listen. "I'm serious! We're standing there, and he tells the computer to load the Palistine file." "Like _your_ Palistine." "Mine." My smile couldn't grow any bigger. "Next thing I know, I- I've- I've got this _armor_ and a sword! And- And I _was_ Palistine!" I was getting excited just telling the boy about it. Excited to share the experience that hopefully would match the game we'd been working so hard on. "And _him_! He looked _just_ like the painting, D. I mean- I- and then we went on an adventure! We fought trolls and stuff! Then there was this _beach_ and it was _so clear_. We went swimming, and..." I stopped and felt the slow trickle of a blush creep into my ears. "Ohh! So you didn't _really_ do it." I snorted and looked at my other piece of toast. "Felt pretty real to me..." "Ewww." I snorted and took a bite, looking to the screen and choking on the bite I'd just taken. In his flicking Damian had stopped on the local news station, on it was my date from last night with a large banner across the bottom. While my Japanese wasn't perfect, I knew _exactly_ what it said. 'Most eligible bachelor _off the market?!_ ' "What? What is it?" Asked Damian, confused. Coughing avidly to get my toast out of my airway, I felt a hard thump on my back from the boy beside me, allowing the wayward piece back up to be sorted down the right path. "You okay?" I nodded a bit and cleared my throat, pointing to the screen. "Someone must have seen us last night... I kind of wondered." Taking the remote, I quickly turned on the english subs to make it easier to follow along. _'_ _Executive and owner of the powerful Kaiba Corporation, Seto Kaiba was seen last night...with a date.'_ I couldn't stop my groan. "It was literally _one_ date... I guess I should be happy they don't know about the other one..." "Shh! I'm reading." Said Damian. _'Labeled last year's 'Most Eligible Bachelor' in GQ's Business edition, in March, it would appear that may no longer be true. Last night, the powerful CEO was spotted at La` Perina with an unidentified woman. We spoke with the maneger.'_ "Uh oh." I mumbled bending my head to fit in my hand. "Why? What did you do?" Asked Damian, a huge grin eating up his face. "Can we change it?" "No." The boy took the remote and tossed it across the room, causing Deezer to sit up from his spot on his bed. _'I am not sure of her name, but she and I had a conversation about a number of tattoos she had. Although it was against policy, I allowed them inside.'_ "I made you let us in tubby." I grunted. _'She had a dragon on one shoulder, something on the other side too but I didn't see it. One of my waiters saw a fish on the back of her leg.'_ "A fish!" Crowed Damian, cackling. "Shut up." I groaned, throwing the plate on the couch beside me as I looked for my phone. _'So there you have it! It would seem the business man prefers not women from the high-end of society, but of the tattooed variety. More on this, coming up."_ I heard the familiar sound of my cell coming from the bedroom and ran to grab it before it quieted. I didn't even need to look at the screen, I knew exactly who it was. "I was just about to call you." _"_ _You saw that nonsense too?"_ "You didn't say you were the Most Eligible Bachelor, why didn't you tell me I was winning something?" I asked, heading for the coffee pot. _"_ _Don't even start. I hated that issue."_ "Aww... I was gonna ask for a signed copy for Christmas." I muttered, pouring myself a mug. _"_ _If that's what you_ _ **really**_ _want..."_ "No. I lied. I don't want that. Don't get me that." I said instantly, drawing his smokey chuckle from the other end. _"_ _So what_ __ _ **do**_ _you want?"_ "Totally not what you called about." _"_ _I'll get what I can. Look, this will blow over in a week or two, don't worry."_ "Honestly it doesn't bother me that much... nobody knows me here, I mean not really, so as far as I'm concerned, the best camouflage is none." _"_ _Alright... but the minute you start getting feedback, I want you to call me, I'll take care of it."_ "But I'm a paparazzi's wet dream, I stay home all day and paint. So glamorous." I said, tone whimsical. _"_ _I mean it Milo."_ "I know, I know, okay? I'll keep you posted, but really, it's okay." _"_ _Alright, I'll talk to you soon."_ "Kay... bye." _"_ _Bye."_

"Noa, did you get that picture I sent you?" I asked the camera as I set a plate before the boys, the laptop sitting to the side out of the way. _"_ _I did! I also got the one of the Royal family you sent to advertising."_ "Really? Great!" _"_ _That witch is a piece of work, really, I'm impressed."_ "Oh, well thank you Noa, you're too kind." I said as I pressed down tea for the brothers and I, and milk for Damian. _"_ _But I'll let you get to your dinner. We'll talk more soon! Bye!"_ A chorus of parting words left the table as the screen flicked off. "He's nice. For a ten year old." I said with a snort, putting the pot of stew on a divot. "He's not really ten." Said Mokuba. "Oh?" My brows lifted and Seto gave a frown to his brother. "Come on Seto, spill. What's with the tween?" I asked, tone more joking then angry. "It's weird." He muttered, moving a potato around his bowl. "So?" That had his brow lifted. "You really want to know?" "Yea." "When Noa was ten, he was in a bad accident. Gozoboro put him in a cyber world to protect his mind." Said Mokuba. "You can do that?" Asked Damian. "Well...not really... His body was lost, and the program that Gozoboro designed was easily manipulated. That's when we came..." "Gozoboro brought us home as a challenge for Noa, but when I surpassed him, my step-father left him there." Said Seto, shaking his head a bit. "He spent years revamping his world...when Seto first came up with the VR technology, he got a hold of it and took it to the next level." Said Mokuba. "So that's why everything feels so real..." I said, looking to the elder Kaiba, who nodded in response, swallowing his bite of soup. "Wait, your step-dad dumped him in some cyberland and he just... came to work for you?" Asked Damian. "Well...No... He might have kidnapped us..." Said Mokuba, the tiniest hint of a red on his nose. "Seto was hosting Battle City. Our blimp was diverted, and we were put into Noa's world. We had to fight for the right to leave in our bodies... there was a set of cronies called the Big 5, and they fought against Seto, Yugi, and all his friends." "Sounds like a bad movie." Said Damian. "It was. By the end of it though, Noa and Mokuba had come to an understanding, which led to an understanding between him and I." Said Seto. "So...why is he still there? You can't find something to put his mind in?" I asked. "I could. I've offered a number of robots and cyborgs that can be turned and shaped to match a human almost perfectly, but..." Seto trailed off and shook his head once more. "He's tired of being 10." Finished Mokuba with a shrug. "And that's the only image we can really get." My brow lifted. "I could do that." "Do what?" Asked the younger brother. "Make an age appropriate image. How old would he be?" "Little older then me. Maybe 16 or 17." Said Mokuba. "If I could get a picture of his parents, I could _definitely_ make an updated image. He could even try it out in his world first." "That's not a bad idea Seto..." Said Mokuba, looking to his brother. "Don't you have enough to worry about?" Asked the blue eyed man to me. "It's just a picture Seto, besides nobody likes being 10, let alone being 10 forever." My brows lifted as I looked to him. "Consider it a Christmas gift." He sighed and rolled his eyes. "Alright... I won't stop you. There's a picture of Gozoboro and Noa's mother in storage. I'll send it to you."


	25. Chapter 25

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 **I don't own Yugioh or it's characters.**

"Hey." It was only Wednesday, but I was hoping with a lunch offering, the busy man would have time for me. He looked up, doing a bit of a double take as he saw who it was. "Hey... What are you doing here?" I gave a small smile as I brought a reusable bag out from behind my back. "Brought you lunch." "Oh..." His hands came out for the bag and instantly he was peeking inside. "It's just dumplings, but they're fresh. Should still be warm." A hum of intrigue left his throat as he pulled out the box. "You want some?" He asked, popping open the top. "No, I ate already. I had some things to drop off here, I thought I might bring some too you." He paused, eyes squinted my way suspiciously. "What do you want?" "What? I brought you lunch!" "I also know you're not out of your pajamas unless you absolutely need to be." "Would you rather I come in my jams?" I asked casually. "Milo." He scolded, putting a bit of sauce on the lid of the box. "Alright, alright, I was wondering if you could help me." His brows lifted as he took a bite. "I'm looking to get another car. I have enough saved for a down payment, I feel like I would be able to come _here_ more often and collaborate with some of the other artists, Deezer's due for a check up, I just feel like it's time." "But..." He pressed. "I'm _super_ bad at reading Japanese." He snorted and covered his mouth as he snickered through his food. "It's not that funny." He swallowed his bite, took a sip, and I could see his amusement clearly. "Out of _all_ the things you can ask for help for. You want me to translate for you." "Well yea! I mean I don't know how they are here, but back home dealerships are notorious for slipping things into the fine print. Throw in the fact I'm not a native speaker..." "Alright, alright, I get your point." He picked up another dumpling and tore it in half, dipping it in the sauce. "I don't know why you can't just take it from the car pool, but okay." I rolled my eyes. "I'd rather own it. Just in case." "Alright. If that's what you want, I won't stop you." He said, taking a napkin from the small pile I'd provided and wiping his lips. "Okay. Do you want to go Saturday? You guys can stay the night." "That's fine. I'll push some things around." I stood and picked up the abandoned bag. "Thank you Seto." I leaned over the desk to press a kiss to his cheek. " _Finish_ that." I said firmly, pointing to the remaining dumplings. "Yes mother." I snorted at his tone but gave him one more kiss before taking my leave.

Gozoboro was all force, all power, and every bit the monster I had pictured him to be from the stories Seto had told me. The large painting that Seto had found in storage had captured the man's personality exactly. Whomever the artist was, they had taken great care to reflect the couple's inner being on canvas. While Noa's father was a being of incredible greed and anger, his mother was not. She was very pretty. Curly blond hair, soft cheeks, and a tenderness in her eyes that showed the love she held for her son. She was beautiful. I took a long time studying that picture, finding each of Noa's traits in them. He had his eye shape, but her color. He retained his father's chin and cheekbones though, but they were softer, showing the woman's influence. Her brow line and forehead, but his father's ears and more then likely his hair color. Being gray in the photo, I had no way of knowing what it used to be, but seeing as the boy didn't match his mother's texture, it was most likely shared with his sire. "Wow... Is that Noa?" Asked Damian, coming in as I used the TV to expand my screen. Holding the picture of the canvas to one side, and my drawing to the other. "It's going to be... Can you help me?" "Sure." He flopped down beside me. "I just need another opinion. Do you think he'd get his father's figure?" "You mean his size?" I nodded. He looked for a long moment. "He'd come close. She's not that much shorter then he his." "She's in heels." I said, pushing the painting up so she could see her feet. "Yea, but she still looks tall for a woman. Maybe 5'8? 5'9? He'll be close." That sounded about right. "I don't think he'll be quite so broad though... Maybe when he's a bit older, but look, she's real petite." Said Damian, pointing to the woman. "So in between?" "You could do that, yea. I think that would look okay." I brushed out an outline on the tablet. "Not so much leg..." Said the teen, pointing to the father. "His waist is low. He holds his height in his torso." Damian had an eye for things like this, that's why I liked it when he was with me. Body styles, weight, when drawing, especially humans, all of those were important to keep in mind. "That looks good." I gave a smile to my brother. "Thanks! I knew you were the right one to ask."

"So what do you want?" Asked the blue eyed man as we rolled down a main stretch of Domino. "I don't need anything brand new, but something nice." "Let's get a Cadi." Said Damian from the back seat. "We're _not_ getting a Cadillac." I said with a firm eye roll. "What about an SUV? Lots of room if you need it for art supplies." Said Mokuba. "That's not a bad idea." Said Seto, looking my way. "Depends on the car, but that _does_ sound nice." I confirmed as we pulled into a large lot. Cars were lined up all around in endless rows. Parking the car, we all climbed out. "Should we go find someone?" Asked Damian. "They'll find us." Said Seto. As we strolled passed several sedans I paused in front of a Jeep. "No Jeeps." Said Seto, walking on. "Why?" "They roll." "Yea, but not that bad." "They suck on gas mileage though." Said Damian, continuing on. "Really?" "Yea, one of Dad's girlfriend's had one. They were always complaining about it. It would be better back in Denver." I had to concede that point. "You want something that's reliable and a good commute car." Said Mokuba, peeking around the corner at the row that way. "A soccer mom car." Said Damian with a grin. "Yea." The boys grinned at one another and I had to snort. As we rounded the corner, a man in a dress shirt and tie came over. Slightly out of breath, he bowed at the waist, introducing himself as Chun. It wasn't lost to me that the man's attention was focused solely on the CEO, and it seems it wasn't lost to Seto, who gave a dark glare, with a firm finger pointed my way. "I'm the one looking..." I said, raising a brow. "My deepest apologies miss! What brings you to us?" I explained the style I wanted, and was very clear on a budget. "Oh, yes, yes, please, this way." The first car he showed us was nice, but it was very big, with third row seating. "I don't know if I need that much room. Do you have one with maybe just two rows?" I asked politely. "Sure! I have one out back that was just traded in, I'll bring it to you." I felt suspicion grow in my stomach as the eager man ran off. "This is why I hate dealerships." I muttered, crossing my arms. "He seems nice enough." Said Damian, standing on tip toe to look over the car in front of us. "Yea, he wants Seto to drop a check and put his kid through college." I said with a chuckle, turning to peek around the lot. "Please." Grunted the blue eyed man with a clear look of irritation. "What about that one?" Asked Mokuba with a point. In the corner of the lot sat a deep gray SUV, two row seating, with a large crack across the windshield. "Run over and look in, tell me what it looks like." I said with a nod. The boys jogged over and bent to press their faces to the side windows. Watching them scurry around the SUV, I raised a brow as they jogged back. "What do you think?" "Lots of room in the back. Looks like the seats fold down too." Said Damian. "I saw a screen in there too. So it can't be that old." I peeked over and looked at the car, about to go look myself when the salesman returned with a bright yellow Suzuki. "Good god look at that color." I muttered. "Come look! Light aluminum wheels for better gas mileage! Keyless entry, and push button start." The man rattled off all the amenities the bright car came with. Heated leather seats, back seat DVD player, front end screen with a digital dash that told you everything from miles to empty to when the next time for a service was. While I played with all the little buttons and checked the controls, the boys checked out the back seat. "It's nice right? Lots of room for comfortable travel." Said the man. "You want to take it for a test drive? Huh? You'll see it's so smooth." I looked to Seto. "What do you think? Worth taking out?" I swung the steering wheel a bit. "What's the price?" Asked the blue eyed man. The salesmen listed out a price that instantly had my hands away from the wheel and against my chest. "Oh no! No no no no. I don't want to drive it any more. I don't even want to be in it." I climbed out and gave Chun a dirty look. "That's nowhere _near_ the budget I gave you." "Yes, but my manager, he's willing to give you a really good deal-" "I don't want a deal, I want a car in my budget." I pointed at the bright car. "Take it back, and bring me a car I can afford, not the top shelf." Stuttering out an apology, he fumbled with the fob and climbed in, taking the car back to where he'd found it. "Let's go look at that one." I said, heading over to the previously spotted SUV. Much better. Mesh seats instead of the leather, and while there was a screen up front, that was the only one. Unlike the other though, this one had a sun roof, and was much smaller, meaning it would probably be better on gas. " _This_ is better." "Not as big." Spoke Seto, studying the vehicle. "I don't know... maybe that's not such a bad thing. I don't want a boat." I said, looking around for our ruffled salesman. "Let's see if we can find the keys. _This_ looks like something worth a test drive." Said Damian. "Agreed."

I _did_ like it. I liked cramming our sales rep between the boys in the back even more. The sticker price was actually well _below_ what I told myself my max was, and broken into payments with my large down payment I was sure this was the car I was going to be leaving with. The only trouble came when it came time to look over the papers. Seto's sharp eyes scanned them, word by word. "What's this about a co-signer?" He asked, looking at the accounting agent and sales rep. A slightly confused look came over their faces. "Will... Kaiba-sama not be signing as well?" "No." I said, angry. "I never said he was my co-signer." "Our apologies, but unfortunately the payments we agreed upon were made with that assumption." "Then re-do it." I went to push it back but Seto's large hand covered mine. "Wait." "What? No-" The CEO looked up at the pair. "Go away." Instantly the two were up and leaving the small office. "We'll give you a moment." The second they left I shot a dirty look to the blue eyed man. "What are you doing? Have them re-do it." "Just let me co-sign." "No. I don't want you too." "What's it going to do? I hear rumor my credit score is amazing." I rolled my eyes at his smirk. "I just wanted you to help me translate, I don't need a co-signer." "Look, if they take my name off, it'll bump your interest rate and your monthly payments." "I don't need your help." "But I'm offering it anyway." His tone softened. "Nothing else will change. The payments are all you, the insurance, everything, it _literally_ is nothing for me to do this for you. It makes _them_ feel better having my name on it." I didn't like it, and he knew it. Leaning in he pressed a gentle kiss to my temple. "I'll order your favorite Thai food for dinner tonight... Extra chicken." I had to snort before sighing. "Alright..." "That's my girl." A thumb brushed my chin and I had to smile.


	26. Chapter 26

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When I awoke that night, it wasn't because of a bad dream, or because I was cold, or thirsty, or anything like that. There was the feeling of movement in the bed. Uncertain as to what it might be, I turned over to see my bed partner shivering. Was he cold? I pressed a gentle hand to his arm to find him actually sweating. "Seto?" I asked softly, sitting up. He didn't answer. "Seto? Are you okay?" I leaned up to brush the sweat from his brow. His jaw was clenched tight, and through his tremors, he had my duvet gripped in his hands. He was dreaming, he had to be. "Seto... Seto wake up." Giving a more firm shove, he started awake with a shout, causing me to jump. He panted for breath, and for a long moment, he just sat there. "Seto? You okay?" I whispered, brushing his hair off his damp forehead. His stare turned towards me, but his eyes were unfocused. "Come here." I murmured, pulling him towards me. Almost mechanically, he leaned in, and wrapped his arms around my torso. Resting his head on my bosom, he squeezed me tight and I could tell he was still shivering a bit. "Shhh, it's alright." Easing us back to the mattress, I ran my hand up and down his bare back, only stopping when I felt them. Deep, jagged lines criss crossed with straight long ones. I looked down to see him eased back to sleep, his breathing slow, and the trembling slowly dying.

I would stay up through most of the night, dozing off and on, but for the most part awake, tracing the lines over his back and picturing them in my mind. They were most certainly belt marks, I'd know them anywhere. There were others though. On his ribs there were no scars, but you could feel just the slightest bump over some of them. Those were breaks, healed. Running my hand up to run through his hair, I sighed. Poor man. It was almost like winning the lottery and getting a bill the next day. No wonder he was such an ass. Not to mention being in his 20's and running a fortune 500. I felt him move, and instantly went to soothe, murmuring quiet nothings while my arms wrapped around him. A deep groan left him as he shifted and yawned, those bright blue irises lazily opening. "Hey." "Hey." I replied, brushing his hair back. "How did I get so lucky to wake up here?" He murmured quietly. "You were having a bad dream, I woke you up but you just wanted to cuddle." I squeezed him. "I wasn't complaining." He just hummed and scooted up, his lips now even with mine. As our lips pressed together, my door swung open. Damian was in the doorway, but instead of teasing like I expected, he was completely serious. "You should see this."

 _'Mystery woman revealed!'_ Was scrolled across the bottom, with the woman on screen talking avidly. _"_ _Last week we reported that the elusive Kaiba Seto was seen with a tattooed woman on a date. This week, we might just have a name."_ "Aw fuck." I muttered, my mouth not even trying to filter the filthy word. "It was just a matter of time." Said Seto, bringing me a mug of hot coffee. "How do you deal with this? Who cares who your dating?" "All my fans." He said smugly, taking a sip. "The things I get in those fan letters, whew. Dear penthouse." I gave him a sharp elbow to his side. "I'm serious." "Come on, I warned you." He said, humor gone. "You should have known anyway." "When they didn't know my name! I was fine with it then." "It will blow over." He said, trying to calm my ire. "I promise you, it always does. Just deal with it for a while, I promise it'll stop when the next big thing comes up." "You guys deal with this? The press in your business?" Asked Damian to the other teen. "Off and on. Like Seto said, it usually goes away." Replied Mokuba. _"_ _After our report last week, this week we received a tip that yesterday at around noon, Kaiba-sama was seen with a woman matching the description from last week in a car lot down town. What does a millionaire want with a used car? This reporter went to find out."_ "I'm sure you did." I growled. _"_ _Sir, sir!"_ The footage went to the image of a woman running across a lot, microphone out as she caught up to whom I quickly recognized was my Sales Rep. _"_ _Yes? How can I help you?" "Who is it you're helping?" "Beg pardon?" "Who is it here with Kaiba-Sama?" "Oh...well I'm not sure. They haven't-" "Do you have a name?" "Her name is Milo."_ The screen flicked back to the woman at the desk, a new image popping up beside her, one I quickly recognized as my Kaiba Corp badge picture. _"_ _Milo Newman to be precise."_ "What the fu-" "Shhh." Rumbled Seto, wrapping an arm around my neck to cover my mouth with his large palm. _"_ _Our source inside KC showed her recently promoted to head of the Art Department. Is it love? We will try to find out. Back to you-"_ Curses sat muffled behind the elder brother's hand as he tried to keep in my anger. Finally running out of steam, I sighed and glared at the TV. "Better?" I nodded and the hand dropped. "That's so stupid." Muttered Damian. "What's the point? _Who cares_ who he's dating?" "That's exactly it." Replied Seto. "Nobody really cares, but enough are curious about it to make it worth it." My lip curled in distaste. "That's so stupid." "Welcome to the lime light." "Seto used his duel disk to scare them off once." Said Mokuba with a grin. "Not my fault they didn't know my dragon wasn't real." Said the blue eyed man with a look to match his brother's. "You're gonna hook me up with one of those right?" Leaning over to brush his lips against my ear. "Only if you ask nice." The sight of my blush would cause the younger siblings to grimace and look away. 

"I hate shopping." I gave a lazy glare at the blue eyed man who was no less then sulking as we pressed by busy shops bustling with Christmas shoppers. "I said you didn't have to come, the boys and I would have been fine alone." "Speaking of, where did they get off too?" The tall man turned a head to peek around for the two teens. "They said something about finding a gift for me. Obviously I couldn't go." I said with a snort as I reached into my pocket to pull out my list. Seto's would have to wait, but the boys would be no problem. Or so I thought. "What are you getting Mokuba?" "I usually go with the newest console. Keeps him pretty happy." Said the man. I rolled my eyes. "Well what should _I_ get him?" His brow rose. "Why would you get him anything?" "Because you get things for people you care about...or did your lack of friends make you forget that?" His dirty look didn't scare me. "I'm too busy for friends." "You found time for me." I said with a tiny smirk as I looked at the shop we were passing. 'Kame' was above the door, and in the windows sat a wide variety of duel monster cards. "Let's go in here." "Why?" I didn't answer, I just grabbed his sleeve and tugged him in. Giving a smile to the older man behind the counter, I was greeted almost instantly. "Hello! What can I help you with today?" "I was wondering if you could help me pick out a deck for my brother." I approached the counter and looked at the many cards nestled in the display cases. "He just moved here, and he's new to dueling, so I was wondering if you could maybe help me pick out something simple for him to build on." The sound of thumping from the stairs down the hall had us both looking up as a set of twins came bouncing down the stairs, an all too familiar set of tri-colored hair causing me to recognize them instantly. "Grandpa! Yami and I are- Hi!" Remembrance colored the smaller boy's face quickly, greeting me with a smile. "Hey Yugi, Yami." I said. "Milo, right? Nice to see you again." Said Yugi, offering a hand. "Right." I met both boy's hands warmly before looking back to where Seto sat, leaning against one of the display cases. "It's nice to see you Kaiba." Said Yami, stepping away from us to converse with the taller male. "I suppose it is..." I rolled my eyes. "Ignore gumpy. I'm shopping." I explained to Yugi. "I was just getting ready to do the same thing..." He leaned in and whispered the last part. "Yami doesn't care for the crowds." I gave a silent snicker before looking back to see the pair staring at one another, not even talking. "I have an idea. Why don't you two go duel? Or something. Go do something. You're both obviously miserable. Yugi and I will go." I said, drawing their attention. "I couldn't do that aibou. I promised." Said Yami, looking to his twin. "I _told_ you, I'm fine." Grumbled Seto. "Actually, I think you both are over due for a good challenge." Said Yugi with a smile. "Go on, besides, now I can get _your_ gift Yami." I looked to the blue eyed man. "That goes for you too, I need to figure out what I'm getting you." Seto let out a sigh and looked to Yami. "What do you think?" "I _think_ we shouldn't look a horse's gift in the mouth..." Murmured the shorter man. My brows pinned and I looked to Yugi to find a tiny blush on his cheeks. "He does that." Seto just smirked. "And what kind of gifts do you get from horses, Yami?" "Something I'm sure you're quite familiar with." A deep chuckle left Seto as he pressed open the door to take their leave. "I'll be back in an hour." "Be good." I said with a wave before looking back to the two before me. "So, about that deck."

"This is nice, Damian will love it." I said as I flicked through the cards Yugi and his Grandfather had been kind enough to help me pick out. "Seto has a ton, but honestly, I don't have a clue on making a deck." "It takes a touch, I'll give you that." Said Yugi. "You have to have a balance of magic, trap, and monster." "That's what Mokuba said. I can understand that." Putting the deck away I looked to Yugi. "So, what are you thinking about for Yami?" The man shrugged, obviously uncertain. "Yami is... complicated." "So what does he like?" "Oh... I don't know, dueling, obviously." "Yea, but what else?" I paused before a large shop window. "Does he like books?" The tri-colored boy looked up and cocked his head. "He _does_ like to read..." "Well let's take a look, bookstores are nice because they've always got something for everyone." I pulled the door open for him before following inside. "What's he like reading about?" I asked as we strolled through the isles of bookshelves. "History. Mostly Egypt." "Like Ancient Egypt?" He nodded. "I thought that stuff was kind of cool too. Mummies, and tombs, and gods, blows your mind to think how advanced they were." We went to the history section of the store and while we browsed, my eye caught sight of an almost forgotten section. Tucked behind an outstanding shelf sat a tiny alcove, with a sign above that read 'Used'. Making my way over, I scanned the titles, unsure of what exactly I was looking for. Several old romance novels were crammed into and on the shelves, with a vast amount of paperback mysteries. Then I spotted it. Second shelf down from the top, stuck in a corner sat a thick hardback. Reaching up on tip toe, I pulled it down. _'Ancient Egypt and the Origins of Duel Monsters'_ _By Maximilian Pegasus_. The book itself didn't look that old, the dust-jacket keeping it protected. "Hey Yugi, come check this out." My companion rounded the corner and I offered the thick book. "Is this something Yami might like?" Skimming over the cover, a bright smile came over his face. "Wow! Yea! This looks right up his ally. I didn't know Pegasus wrote a book." He flipped open the cover and a look of shock came over his face. Written in an elegant hand on the inside cover was a note.

 _To Dear Yugi-boy, hope you enjoy. -Pegasus_

"Wow, what's the chance of that, huh?" I asked, dumbfounded. Yugi just grinned and popped the cover closed. "Great find Milo! Now let's see what we can do about finding you something for Kaiba and Mokuba."

For Mokuba, I found a neat remote control drone with a camera attached, and I even found a Christmas sweater for Deezer. (That was _my_ gift.) But no matter how we looked, we just couldn't find something for the blue eyed man. "What do you get a guy with everything?" I asked with a chuckle as we headed back towards the game shop. "Something from the heart." Said Yugi, lifting his shoulder in a shrug. "I know that's not very helpful... Didn't you say you were an artist? Why don't you draw him something?" As we rounded the corner for the tiny shop we stopped as we spotted an all too familiar dragon going head to head with a purple clad magician. "You know Yugi...I think you might be on to something there..." Watching the two clash and shatter, I saw that we had captured their attention. After a long moment the shorter of the two gave a small smile. "It would seem our company has returned. Care to call it a draw?" I could tell Seto wanted to finish, but one more look our way had him nodding. "I think we both got what we wanted." "Indeed. You haven't lost your touch Kaiba." As the holograms faded, I smiled. Today had worked out for everyone. Now it was time to find the boys.


	27. Chapter 27

**On with the story! Don't forget to follow and review. BB**

 **I don't own Yugioh**

I was in the office this week, with Christmas fast approaching, I wanted to make sure all the artists were on the same page with the break coming. Noa was also present on the large flat screen that sat in the center of the lobby for the art department. "I think we can get this almost wrapped up by Christmas or at least by the new year if we split this up." I said, looking over several papers that had been delivered to me. "Noa, what do you still need?" _"_ _Still need the antagonist and traveling companions."_ Said Noa, looking over what I would assume to be his own notes. _"_ _And any animals that aren't monsters that would be connected with the plot."_ "Did we decide if we wanted to throw in pets?" I asked my team who was staring at me. "Anyone? I'll take anything." I looked to Noa. "You're the only one that showed up I guess." "Are we just not going to talk about it then?" Spoke Rin, a quiet girl at the end of the table. "About what? You have to actually ask for us to talk about it." I replied. "About the news report that _all_ saw." Spoke Torin, a veteran of his position, he'd actually been at his post since before Seto had came into office, working for Gozoboro as a propaganda designer. "What about it." I spoke, tone tinged with ice. "How about we talk about how you _magically_ got this position after working as a secretary." "Or why we never see you. Why do you get to work from home?" Complained another. Torin's eyes locked with mine. "So tell us Milo. What other benefits do you get from sleeping with the boss?" _"_ _That's enough!"_ All eyes turned to look at the screen where Noa sat, positively simmering. _"_ _Your questions are inappropriate, and if_ _ **any**_ _of you had bothered to look at the project at all you would see she has done_ _ **more**_ _then her share. Regardless of that, she is your superior, and you will_ _ **not**_ _speak to her that way!"_ For a moment the room was silent. "I was given this position, because Mr. Kaiba felt I would do well in it. If you feel I don't fit your standards, then you are welcome to address those concerns with him, but hear this... Noa is absolutely right, I _am_ your superior. Going over my head with unwarranted and unprecedented complaints and attempts to get me fired are not only against policy, but can land you with a termination of your own." I laced my fingers together and looked over the table. "So... if you want to go to a higher up, by all means, I won't stop you. I just want you aware what the consequences of those actions might be." "Is that a threat?" Growled Torin. "Absolutely not... however I want you to think about my time here. If there has been a _moment_ where I treated any of you with an attitude any less then a supervisor would have. I gave you assignments, assessed your work, and sent it away to the VR department and advertising department respectfully. Along with working with Noa directly so we can get this game finished at a decent time. So speak up! Does anyone at this table think I haven't done my job?" For a long moment nobody spoke. "The question isn't your ability. It's the fact you're in a relationship with our CEO." Said Torin. "Which has nothing to do with my ability. So I don't understand the correlation." I replied, a sharp glare pointed his way. "There's nobody to stop you from doing whatever you want! This wouldn't have happened if Gozoboro were around." He shot a disgusted look my way. "When things were under his control, there wasn't any question. Secretary's _don't_ become department heads." He snorted and gave one last look to me as he stood. "Unless they're giving it." He looked around the table. "I'm going up to Kaiba-Sama's office, right now, and demanding a new department head. Who's coming with me?" Quiet whispers ran across the table. "Mr. Kaiba's office is up the lift and down the hall, you all welcome to join him... but know anyone who leaves with Torin and his little attempt at a coup, will be fired." I looked over the remaining artists. "This is Japan. I can _find_ artists. I would like for you to stay, but it's not required. So if you are _that_ uncomfortable with me as your boss, then go, I don't want you." The room was silent and nobody moved. "Torin you can pick up your pink slip from HR." I said dismissively as I returned to the notes on the table. Storming out in a huff, I waited a few moments to see if anyone else would leave with him. "You all have your assignments, I want them done and sent in before Christmas break. If I don't see you before then, I hope you have a good holiday." I said with a wave as I sat back in my chair, hearing them shuffle out. _"_ _They're gone."_ I sighed and rubbed my eyes. "That wasn't out of line, was it?" _"_ _I've had to do it too. Sometimes you have to cull a bit of the herd to keep it healthy."_ "But Torin worked for your father. He's been here a long time." I said, looking at the boy. _"_ _Maybe that's one of the reasons it's best if he left... Working under my father isn't exactly something to brag about."_ I sighed once more. "Oh well. Guess he's Seto's problem now."

 _'My office. Now.'_ The E-mail hadn't been specific, but I knew exactly why the CEO wanted to see me. Kiko didn't even look up as I walked by and pressed the code into the office. The second I walked in, I noticed the silence. No clicking of his keys, no phone ringing, nothing. He was looking out over Domino, one of his many unreadable expressions on his face. "Seto?" "What. Were. You. Thinking." A cold anger simmered in his voice. "I stand behind my decision to fire Torin." "You don't fire _anyone_ without running it by me first." He snapped, turning to face me, those eyes swirling with anger. "I'm a department head. I can fire any one of my team without your consent." I said, trying to slow my heartbeat. Seto Kaiba was a force to be reckoned with when he was angry, and today was no exception. "Not someone who's been here almost 20 years! Do you understand what you have done?! He could _sue_ us for wrongful termination, _and win_! Just because he hurt your feelings-" "He questioned my ability!" I snapped back, feeling my temper flare. "This wasn't just because he questioned me Seto, this is because he couldn't set aside the fact that you and I have a relationship. Nothing more!" "You don't fire people over that! The size of his severance package-" "Is irrelevant! I handled that situation with as much diplomacy that it could be handled with. Ask Noa! He was there, and he supported my decision!" "I just might... Or I just might transfer you." Anger boiled in my stomach. "Why." "This will happen again. I'll put you with Noa, that will-" "I don't _want_ to work for Noa! I want the job _you_ offered me!" He rounded the desk in such a way I took a step back as he approached. "You _will_ watch your tone." Gone was the angry yelling and in it's place was the cold, calculated, monotone. "Seto..." He loomed over me with his large frame, dousing that angry fire in my stomach almost instantly. Swallowing the fear, I met that icy glare. "I made my decision, and the fact is that another department head agrees with me. Noa was on call the whole time, so if you want, look at the footage." "I will. And so will several HR reps and lawyers. So _if_ you are lying to me...tell me now." I caught just a hint of tenderness towards the end. He was worried for me. In his own, odd and strange way, he was worried for me. "I trust my decision..." I looked up and met his gaze, this time without any fear. "And so should you."

I worked late Friday, trying to get the final touches on would be the animal companions to the group. Ultimately there would be two. A long legged savanna cat that would have the ability to deliver messages and scout, but relatively useless in battle, and a short legged dog that wouldn't be able to scout, but could track and play a minor role in battle scenes. My office, until this point had been empty, so I kept it that way, turning it into a studio, using some of the many supplies at my disposal to create canvas creations. Paint splattered what _used_ to be a nice pair of leggings, my shirt only spared because of the hook on the back of my office door. The cat was covered by a tight-fitting leather sheath-like armor, with a vile around the collar on it's neck with a scroll inside. The dog on the other hand was covered by chain mail, it's large bat-like ears poking through a special helmet. "Don't show Deezer... he'll get a big head..." I looked over to see the CEO leaning against my doorway. "A brave pupper deserves to be knighted..." I said, putting my brush into a misused coffee mug filled with water. "What are you still doing here?" I asked, picking up a rag and wiping my hands. "The HR session just got out." "Did it?" "I saw your car, and knew you hadn't left yet... thought I'd come by." He stepped over and dragged back a rolling chair from the conference table. "How'd it go?" He sighed and flopped into the seat. "Like you don't know." I just hummed a bit in response before picking my brush back out and wiping it down, dipping it in another color. "I should have trusted you..." "Mhmm." "I'm sorry." "Mhmm." "I should have handled it differently I... Milo, come on, I'm trying." "I know you are." I swapped my brush out for another soaking in the cup. "Seto I wasn't mad at how you handled that situation. I understood why you were upset. I fired a veteran of 20 years to this company. What I'm upset about the fact you didn't trust my decision. You didn't even listen to it." I leaned close to the canvas to color the cat's eyes. "You were so busy trying to be impartial to our relationship you took his side. You forgot that when I decide to do something, there's usually a reason." "I didn't forget I just..." "You were scared I'd fucked up..." I leaned back to examine my work. "I get that. I do. But I didn't fuck up Seto." "I know you didn't... I'll trust your decisions from now on just... will you look at me? Please?" I sighed a bit and tossed the brush into the cup, finally meeting his gaze. "Seto I don't want that either..." "Then what do you want?" I could tell he was slightly frustrated, with himself of me I wasn't sure. "I _want_ you to treat me like a Department Head. I _want_ you to act like you _want_ me to have this position. Not just something you gave to your... bed partner." He frowned and summoned me over with a wave. "Of course I want you to have this position. I've never felt better about a game's turn out then the minute I gave you the reins." He gently tugged me to straddle his hips, my backside resting on his knees. "What he said to you was wrong, and it will, most likely, happen again, but..." He squeezed my chin. "If you handle it the way you did then, I know you'll be okay... don't question why I made this choice, because it _was_ the right one, okay?" I gave a tiny smile as his fingers brushed through my hair. "This will be a bit hard, working together, but I think we'll figure it out." He murmured as I leaned down to embrace his form. "You're pretty smart, if anyone can it's you." I said with a chuckle.


	28. Chapter 28

**Big thank you to everyone reading :) If you find any grammar or formatting errors please let me know! Thanks! BB**

 **I don't own Yugioh**

"Jesus Christ D, there's not a single tree to be found." I said with a heavy sigh into the phone. _"_ _But we've gotta have a tree!"_ "We're probably just gonna go to Seto's and Mokuba's-" _"_ _I don't want to go to the Kaiba's, I mean I do, but..."_ I leaned against a nearby building with another sigh. "Alright... Alright, I'll have one more go of it, but after that..." _"_ _One more try."_ Hanging up. I looked around. Signs had been scattered around Domino pointing this way. Squinting around the small courtyard, I finally spotted it. It almost looked like it was somebody's yard. Were it not for the sign out front with the prices on it, I might have over looked it. Sitting next to the gate was a mop of shaggy blond hair, his head bent over his lap. "Hello?" I asked politely, bending to see if the man was awake. Instantly the head popped up and I recognized him. "Hi." "Hey... Joey right?" It was hard to tell under the dark bruise over the boy's face, but I think it was the blond duelist that had challenged Seto a while back. "Do I know you?" The New York accent cinched it. "I'm Milo... We met in the park, I asked to see your Red Eyes?" "Oh yea! Hey!" He stood, and I finally saw what he'd been so avidly distracted with when I arrived. A drawing, and a quite good one at that. Meeting his hand, I looked around. "What are you doing here? It's freezing." He gave a grin. "I know the guy that owns it, just trying to make a buck, you know? Last minute shopping." "Do you have any _good_ trees here then?" I asked, looking over the small pen and seeing only scrawny branches. "Here? Nah." He flashed a grin though. "I'll tell ya what, I know a place outside of town that's got _huge_ trees. If you got the time, I'll show ya." "Oh I couldn't ask that, I mean you're so... busy." He chuckled and bent down to pack up his bag. "I'm not worried. Hasn't been a person all day besides you." "Alright, if you're sure. I'm parked around the corner."

The blond seemed happy to be out of the cold. I could see why. He didn't have a very thick jacket on, and the radar was calling for another round of snow by the end of tomorrow. "What are you working on?" I asked, peeking over to see the notepad once more in his lap. "It's just a doodle, something to pass the time." "Can I see?" As we pulled up to a light, he handed me the book and I looked it over. It was rough, but for being in ink pen it was very impressive. It looked like a sort of knight, his blade at the ready with large flames licking the face. A polite beep from the car behind me showed it was my turn to go, and I handed it back. "That's cool! Is that a Duel Monster?" "Yea! It's my Flaming Swordsman. He's one of my favorites." "You certainly have a knack for it. You thought about pushing a career in it?" "Me? Nah, I'm not that good." "I think you could be, given the opportunity." "Well to be honest, that's a bit tough to come by." Just as we passed the city limits, he pointed me down a dirt road with a hand painted sign that read 'Trees!' With an arrow.

Not only did I find a tree to my satisfaction, the blond was nice enough to help me load it and offered to bring it up to my apartment. "You go down and I think we can get it through, D, get Deezer out of the road." I said, tugging on the tree. Dragging it into the corner, I smiled, looking to the blond man. "Nice work." He clapped his hand with mine. "Let's get some tea, I need to warm up. Would you like some?" I encouraged, hoping he would stay just a bit longer. "Well I don't know..." "It'll only take a minute, I was wondering if you had any more drawings with you." "Really? Yea, sure..." He came around and pulled out the chairs in the kitchen, only to catch a large canvas as it started to fall. "Oh! I'm so sorry, I forgot I put that there. Just put it on the table, I'll move it in a minute." I said as I filled the kettle. He did as I bade, taking a seat as he studied it. A large, three headed dragon stood before a purple clad magician, and a dark red eyed dragon, the painting showing mid-battle. All three had powerful beams of different colors coming to meet in the center. "You painted this?" "Mhmm." I said, coming to lift the canvas off the table. "It's going to be Seto's Christmas present. I didn't know what else to get him." I said with an awkward smile. "I mean what do you buy a guy who owns a Porsche?" "What'd you get Mokuba?" "A drone, but I thought him and D would get a kick out of it." I said, nodding to where Damian was already starting to decorate the large tree, talking avidly to the Corgi at his side. "He'll like it." I looked over to see the blond studying the spot where I had propped the canvas up. "Rich boy- I mean Kaiba. He'll like it. Anything to do with those dragons'a his." I chuckled and set the tea to steep. "He's not so bad... You know?" "Yea...I hear that." As I poured a cup for us both, I passed it over. "He scared the crap out of me when I first met him. Mokuba, super sweet, but jesus." I gave an exaggerated shiver. "Ice King." That had the blond laughing. "How'd you meet him then?" "I was working for him... I used to do video calls with Damian, Mokuba would come in late at night and bring Seto food. Those two were best friends from the get go. I was scared to death he'd get me fired." I took a sip from the warm fluid. "So what changed?" My brow lifted at his question. "I went through some things, and Seto was there to help me through them. He helped me get custody of Damian, work through some demons I was still fighting when my mother passed..." "It's hard. Picturing Kaiba caring about someone other then himself or Mokuba." "Oh don't get me wrong, he's still pretty self absorbed." I said with a tiny smirk. "But... bringing him into my world, helping me deal with my problems, it brings him out of himself a bit." A loud ding had me jumping a bit before remembering I'd set soup in the slow cooker before I left. "Hey look, dinner's ready... you hungry?" I asked the blond, getting up and pulling bowls down before he could even answer.

I would ultimately find not only better drawings in his notebook, but colored ones too. His shading was immaculate. "These are amazing. Check it out D." I said, handing the book back to the teen as he passed for something to drink. "I like this one." Said the teenager, flipping through and handing it back. It was an image of another swordsman, but this one was larger, and had a mask over his face. "That's Gilford the Lightning." Explained Joey. "I like his shading, look at that." I said, pushing the book back. "I see it, I see it, come on, I'm thirsty." I rolled my eyes before bringing the book back down and flipping it closed. "Let me load up some of that soup for you to go." "Oh no, please, you don't-" "You might as well let her do it..." Muttered Damian, passing through to head to the living room. "He's right, I'm pretty stubborn." I said, pulling down a Tupperware container. Filling it to the brim and putting a lid on, I grabbed my purse off the bar. After digging for a few moments, I came back to the table and walked him towards the door before handing over the container, a set of bills on top with a business card. "What's this for?" He asked, flipping the card to take a look. "I was wondering if you would like a job. I have an opening on my team and I'd be interested to see what you could do for us... if you're interested that is." "I don't know, working for Kaiba-" "You'd be working for _me_." I corrected. "I could start you as an intern, then give you a full time position after 90 days." "I don't know..." "Think about it...consider the money as... an incentive. There will be plenty more _with benefits_." "Money, hey wait, this is too much-" "I won't hear anything of it! You gave me your time and patience." I pressed on his shoulder to encourage him out the door. "Call me when you want to do a formal interview." I said with a grin as I pressed the door closed.


	29. Chapter 29

**If you like the story, please let me know! Follow and Review :)**

 **I don't own Yugioh**

"D, get the presents, I'll get the bags." I said, eager to get out of the cold. "Deezer, get inside." I said, looking to the puppy at my feet. A whistle came from the doorway, with Seto's call to follow. "Kitaru, inu!" Bouncing to the blue eyed man's call, the fluffy bunned pooch skid into the doorway. Shutting the trunk, I scurried inside myself just as the first flakes were falling. "Good lord, what did you bring? You moving in?" He asked, tone almost smug. "Nope! I brought all sorts of good stuff." I said, bending to put the bags with our clothes down, but keeping a few grocery bags in my hands. "Stuff for home made hot cocoa, stuff to make ours _extra_ warm, well at least mine." I said with a grin as I kicked off my shoes. "None for me..." My brow lifted as I headed for the kitchen. "Why not? You got somewhere to be?" I'd asked the question jokingly, but when he didn't answer I paused, looking back. "Are you leaving?" He closed the gap between us, and I saw an apology written all over his face. "You are... Seto, it's Christmas." "I know..." "What about Mokuba?" "He already knows... I just couldn't find a way to tell you." I found myself very upset at the prospect of a holiday without the blue eyed man. "When do you leave?" "Early in the morning... I was hoping would could celebrate before I left..." His fingers brushed my cheek, catching one rebellious tear that I couldn't stop. "I'm so sorry Milo." "What's so important that you have to go?" He shook his head, knowing full well I didn't care for specifics. "It was before you, I-" "Wait, so you were going to leave Mokuba here alone on Christmas?" "He's used to it-" "That doesn't make it okay...Jesus." I turned and stormed toward the kitchen, the brunet right behind. "Wait! Milo-" He was cut off by Damian, who stopped him. "Whoa, best let that one go, man." "But she needs to-" "She'll get there, trust me, just let her cool off." The teen winced at the sound of a pan being slammed down in the room adjacent. "Probably not a good idea to go into a room with both heavy _and_ sharp objects anyway." Mumbled curses were making their way down the hall, and the teen patted the brunet's shoulder. "I'll try and calm her down so we can do Christmas okay? You get packed." That said, the teen ducked into the kitchen, putting a stop to the curses and the slamming almost instantly.

"Why are you mad?" "He-Agh-" I just growled, sloppily throwing things into a pan for cocoa. "Use your words." "No!" Damian just lifted his brow. "Come on Milo, I know you're mad, but cool it with the tantrum, you're getting milk everywhere." I looked down and saw he was right. Taking a deep breath, I went for a paper towel, taking another as I cleaned it up. "Now, what's wrong?" "He's leaving." I grumbled, throwing the towel away. "Yea, Mokuba told me." "It's _Christmas_." "I know." "He was just going to leave Mokuba here alone. On Christmas." I said, brows pinned in frustration. "Well, to my understanding Roland comes to stay with him, but-" "But not his brother." Damian held up a hand to stop me and took a deep breath, urging me to follow. "Is that really what's bothering you?" "Of course it is." "Is it? Or is it because _you_ had high hopes for this Christmas." I paused in my stirring and his brows lifted. "Milo, it's our first one back together, our first one with the Kaiba's, our first one as something half resembling a family... nobody would blame you if you said you were a bit disappointed." I dropped my head a bit. "I _am_ disappointed." He nodded. "Mokuba kind of was too. But to be honest, he's been doing this a bit longer then us. He told me this isn't uncommon. So here's the deal sis..." He leaned over and passed me a bit of cinnamon. "You're _going_ to have to get used to it." I looked over to see his face completely serious. "Christmas isn't the day you celebrate it, and it isn't how long it is. It's doing it with the people you care about. He'll be back." I sighed. "I guess I should go apologize, huh?" "Probably a good idea." "You got this?" "Yea, no sweat!"

"No sweat, huh? Last time I trust you..." I muttered, staring into my mug with a frown. "I thought I had it." Said Damian with a look of sorrow. "Wanna try?" I asked the man who sat flush with my side, arm over the back of the couch. "No thanks...is that tar?" "I don't wanna talk about it..." Said Damian with a blush. After a overdue apology, the CEO had asked if we could continue with the plan to do Christmas a bit early, which I agreed too. "How do you guys do it? We go young to old." I asked Seto, putting the cup on the coffee table. "I usually let Mokuba go first." Said the man, tugging me back so I sat flush with him once more. "Alright boys, you first." I encouraged. Damian lifted the box from me and shook it, pressing his ear to the side. "Good lord don't shake it!" Said Seto, tone alarmed. "Why?" Aske my brother, dropping it instantly. "That poor kitten." I replied, face one of horror and shock. "What? Oh my go- Screw you guys." I shared a chuckle with the brunet at my brother's expense. "Cool! Look Seto, a drone!" Said Mokuba, pulling the last of the paper off. "Really? Let me see." Mokuba slid the box across the floor and the elder brother leaned to pick it up, a look of curiosity on his face. "It's got a camera on it...neat." "You know I got that for him, if I knew you wanted one it would have saved me a lot of trouble." I said with a grin at the man beside me. "Ohh, drone battles." Said the younger Kaiba, signaling for the return of his gift. "What did you get D?" I asked my brother. "It's a deck." Said the teen, eyes roving over each card. "Really? Let me see." Mokuba scooted closer and peeked through them. "These are really cool! There's some good cards in there." Said the young Kaiba. "Yugi and his grandfather helped me pick them out. He said it would be a good starter deck for you." I said, glad my brother liked them. "Really? Cool!" "Thanks Milo!" They chorused. Continuing through their piles, the younger Kaiba brother would receive a new Playstation from his brother, and a game to go with it from Damian. Damian would get a new tablet from the younger Kaiba and a duel disk to go with his new deck from the older brother. "What do you say, D?" "Thank you!" Said the teen, face filled with awe as loaded it and it expanded along his arm. "Mokuba has one too. He can show you how to use it." Replied Seto before squeezing my waist. "Your turn." "Wait, we gotta let Deezer have his!" I said, patting my lap so the eager animal could come investigate. "Oh look what those nice boys got you Deez!" A juicy beef bone was wrapped in plastic, already had the dog licking his chops. "And more raw hides. Since we just can't keep enough in the house any more... cookies! Doggie cookies!" I cooed, opening the bag and letting the pup sample one. "One more thing too." Said Mokuba, ducking under the tree and pulling out a large fluffy bed. "Ohhh, they got you a bed Deez." The dog's backside wiggled in excitement, a small bark leaving him as we moved on. "And from the boy child it's... a squeaky! Look at the squeaky." I squeezed the rubber hippo and instantly the dog was grabbing for it to do it himself. "And a pull toy. Look at you, I think you got out better then anyone else." I said with a grin before grabbing the last gift. "You wanna see what mommy got you?" A happy yip left the dog and I tore open the package. "It's a sweater! Wait! No don't run!" I couldn't help but laugh as the dog took off to hide behind the two teens, seeking protection from the knitted menace.

I leaned down and picked up an oblong box. Unwrapping it and opening the box inside, I found two coffee mugs. Pulling them out, I couldn't help but grin. One was white, with writing on the side that read 'Paint water'. The other was black with white writing that read 'Not paint water.' I couldn't help but laugh. "I dip brushes in my mugs all the time." "You should _hear_ the words that come out of her mouth." Said Damian with a grin of his own. "I love it D, thank you." "In there is the card for the shop I got those at, they've got a ton of cool stuff I think you'll like. I found it when Mokuba and I went shopping." "Really? Neat." I pulled the card off the bottom and placed it in one of the mugs to be examined later. "Alright Seto, your turn." He just hummed and picked up square shaped gift. Unwrapping it quickly, I had to cover my mouth. It was a tie, but my word... "What do you think?" Said the blue eyed man, pressing it to his front. It was mustard yellow with stripes of brown and orange going diagonally across, good lord it was awful. "Please don't ask me that..." I whispered. A barking laugh left the blue eyed man, followed quickly by his brother. "I always get him bad ties." Said Mokuba through his giggles. "I like to wear them and see who says anything." Said Seto with a smirk. "Your face was priceless." Said Damian with a grin of his own. "Alright alright, my turn here..." I grumbled, leaning down and picking up a box about the size of my hand. Unwrapping it, I cocked my head. "It's a watch." I said, leaning to show the man beside me. "It's a smart watch." Said Mokuba. "It syncs up to your phone so you can answer messages and calls. I thought you might like it when you're painting." "Wow! That's so nice, thank you Mokuba, I've never seen something like this." I said, popping off the lid and looking inside. "You'll have to show me how to play with it." I said with a grin to the teens. "Neat. Alright, you're turn." I said to Seto, who leaned down to pick up a box. A bit bigger then then a standard sheet of paper, it was quite a bit thicker. Unwrapping it, I had to smile. It was a D and D starter kit. "There's more inside." Said Damian, urging the man to open the lid. On top was a set of dice, obviously bought separately. "I didn't like the ones it came with." Said D, looking my way. "They were just like, a gray. Kind of boring." "Good back up set though. You can never have too many dice." I said, looking at the set in Seto's hand. These were a deep blue, with a metallic sheen to them, the numbers standing out in white. "Those are neat." I complimented. "I like the color... What's this..." A notebook was sitting on top, Damian's sloppy hand writing on the cover. " _'_ _Dealing with Milo'_ " "Wait, what?" Instantly the blue eyed man had it up and open. "Good lord this is _full_! I've got reading material on the plane now-" "Let me see!" I stretched over him only to have his long arm hold me back, the other stretching up and out of reach. "'When she cooks, just smile and eat a few bites. If it's too bad Deezer will eat it.'" I turned to Damian who held his hands up. "Totally a joke! It's all made up I swear- Well kinda- Don't kill me." A deep rumble left the blue eyed man as he set it down, wrapping his arms around me with a grin. "I wanna see you open the one from me. Come on, I won't take it." I said, a clear pout on my face. "Alright, alright." Pressing a kiss to my temple, he released me to slide over the flat gift. Pulling the paper off, I saw the awe across his face as he took in the picture. His ultimate dragon, fighting his strongest rivals. "Wow Milo, that's amazing!" Said Mokuba, leaning to get a better look. "And I think I know just where to put it." I looked to him and smiled. "You like it?" "I love it, thank you." He murmured, pressing a kiss to my lips.


	30. Chapter 30

**Forewarned, there is a lemon in this chapter. Just a heads up. Don't forget to save and review.**

 **I don't own Yugioh.**

"Come on, you have one left." "I do not..." I checked around my feet and couldn't find another box. When I looked back up, I saw a hinged box in his hand, smirk on his face. "Is it a kitten?" "It is not." Taking it from him, I studied it a second. It was too large for a ring. A bracelet maybe? "Oh come on, open it." He murmured, leaning over my shoulder, his hands clasped in my lap. "Why? Messing with you is just so much fun." He rumbled and gave me a squeeze. Pulling open the lid, I felt my breath leave me. It was a medallion. The metal was a blue hue, with a sapphire in the center, and a scrolling design around it. "It's beautiful Seto..." I murmured, turning to hand it to him. "Will you help me put it on?" Long fingers pulled it from the box as I brushed my hair aside. It was heavy for something about the size of a half dollar, coming to rest about halfway down my chest. "Do you like it?" "I love it Seto." A soft smile curled his lips and I couldn't help but press them to mine. "Ah, yea, they're kissing, let's go." "Right behind you." I pulled back and smirked a bit. "Why don't I give you one last gift to think about on your trip?" A deep rumble left his chest before strong arms lifted us off the couch, drawing a squeal from my lips and my arms to wrap around his neck.

My hands ran under his long sleeved shirt, pushing it up and over his head. Soft lips pressed back to mine as slender fingers pulled on the buttons to my flannel, brushing it off and to the floor. Since he'd started eating regular meals, he was starting to lose his lean look, shifting more towards toned, his muscles still apparent below his skin. Running my nails along the line of one, I felt him shiver, hands pulling me flush. Parting to catch our breath, I pulled off the tanktop and gave a sultry smirk as I sank to my knees. Clever hands parted his belt buckle, while my lips landed over a hip bone, giving a sharp nip. A soft curse left him as his large hands ran my hair back into his fist. When I finally reached inside, I felt his hand tighten. Slowly enveloping in the heat from my mouth, I heard a low groan, the hand in my hair urging the pace, until suddenly, he pulled me back. Raising a brow as I leaned back on my heels, he pulled me up, those large hands wandering over my form. "This isn't going to be much fun for you if I let you keep going." He murmured, giving a gentle push towards the bed. Shedding the last of my clothes, I only stopped when I reached for the clasp on my bra, my heart racing at what I'd so carelessly forgotten. Gentle fingers helped me finish with the last piece covering my form before sliding down over the jagged marks that littered the flesh below. Reaching up at the clip holding his precious gift, he kissed them. "Leave it on." Sinking into the kisses he littered up my neck, I sighed as those hands moved to my front, fondling the pointed peaks on my chest, I felt his heat at my back. Breaking his hold, I turned and pressed him to the bed first, climbing up over his body to rest in his lap. He lavished my body with kisses and squeezes, until finally, I could wait no longer. Sinking on to him I listened to his low groan of pleasure. With a slow, lazy rocking, I started my ascent to climax, feeling him imbedded deep within, filling every nook and cranny with his heat. I threw my head back, increasing my pace as I felt my burning grow hotter. Propping myself on his chest, I strained for climax, grabbing the hands he had on my chest and squeezing. Crying out as the coil within me snapped, I felt his chest vibrate with his response. Slowing my motions, I caught my breath, leaning in for a kiss with the man below. Strong arms slowly turned us over, and I looked up. Bright blue eyes where swirling and darkened with lust, normally pristine and combed hair was tousled, skin flushed with arousal. "You're so beautiful..." He murmured, lowering his body flush with mine as he pressed himself back in. I had no chance to respond as his pace started. My back arched, and my nails dug into his back as he struck stars, sending me into a fit of pleasure. I could hear his strain to hold on in my ear as he panted out a final request. "Say my name, please... Please Milo." I did. I cried it to the heavens as I found release once more, blood rushing, spine tingling, utterly euphoric release. A gasping moan left his throat as he quickly followed, his thrusts turning sharp and erratic before he buried himself deep and sighed.

As we lay in our post coital bliss, we gently parted and he moved to lay beside me, head propped on his arm. Soft hands brushed the sweat from my forehead, those beautiful eyes looking at me in such a way I almost knew the words before he spoke them. "I think...I..." I opened my mouth to respond, but his thumb pressed to it. "I... I love you..." He murmured, so quiet I almost didn't hear it over my still racing pulse. "You don't have to say it back I just-" I leaned up and pressed a soft kiss to his lips. "I love you too Seto..." Such simple words, but coming from him they meant so much, giving me the courage to say them back. As we settled in for sleep, the sound of his heart under my ear simply solidified his words.

When I awoke, I was alone, his side of the bed cold. Sitting up, I saw a note on the nightstand.

You don't know how hard it is to go, but I'll see you soon.

Love, Seto

With a sigh, I folded the note and returned it to the nightstand. Time for a shower.

I made the boys breakfast, and we ate while watching mindless cartoons in the living room while the boys played with their Christmas gifts. "Hey Milo, where's your watch? I'll show you how to sync it with your phone." "Hmm?" The teen cocked his head. "What's wrong?" "She's _moping_!" Sang Damian as he sorted his cards. "Shut up D." I grunted. Mokuba just smiled. "It's okay. I know it kind of sucks that Seto had to go, but he'll be back." The teen grabbed the box for the watch I'd left on the table the night before. "In the mean time, why don't we get this set up? Then you can see if he'll video chat with you." I had to smile, Mokuba really was such a good kid.

"Shhhh." I held up a finger to my lips as I looked to my phone's camera, my favorite CEO on the screen with a smirk on his lips. "There's a war going on in this house..." _"You haven't destroyed the place have you?"_ "It's not me! It's the _children_." I hissed, looking around the corner only to let out a screech as large green blob of a monster waggled it's tongue at me. The sound of the boy's laughter echoed down the hall. "Mokuba taught Damian how to project monsters and it's been _all day_ with this. Come out of the bathroom _boom_ dragon in the hallway." Seto's smokey chuckle came through the phone. _"You need to learn to defend yourself."_ "What would you suggest?" I asked, checking around another corner cautiously. _"Go to Mokuba's room."_ Dodging down the hall, I ducked into the teen's room. _"Get into his closet, there should be a chest sitting on the floor."_ Following his directions I flicked on the light and opened the chest. "Ohhh, jackpot." Inside the chest was a wide selection of nerf guns and ammo. _"Your welcome."_ I flashed a grin to the camera as I made my selection and loaded it. "How's your trip?" _"Thankfully almost over. We're working on a new branch here."_ "Where's here?" _"Quebec."_ "Ah, working with the Canadian's eh?" I heard him snort and tucked the nerf gun into my waistband, loading another. _"Actually it went very smooth."_ "I hear they're very polite people." _"Almost annoyingly so."_ I snickered a bit and cocked the large gun I'd just loaded. "I think I'm ready. I will have no mercy." _"Give them hell dear."_ I flashed a grin at the camera. "I'll have food waiting for you when you get home." _"Can it be soup? I'm freezing."_ "Anything your heart desires...shhh." I flicked off the light and crouched down, hearing them stomp down the hall. "Where'd she go?" "You check your brother's room?" "Yea! She's not there!" I waited until both were in the room before bursting out in a hail of darts, bounding out of the room cackling. Taking refuge behind the couch. _"Behave yourself. I'll be home soon."_ "Okay. Be careful. There's lots of snow here." The whistle of a dart had me peeking over the couch. "I've been discovered! Talk to you soon!"


	31. Chapter 31

**Thank you for reading! Please tell me how you feel about the story in a review.**

 **I don't own yugioh**

I awoke to the sound of a box dropping on the coffee table. The living room was a war zone. Darts, guns, pillows and everything else that could have been used as ammunition lay scattered all over the floor. The boys were fast asleep in front of the tv. Looking up I saw a tired smile on the face of my lover. "I thought I said _not_ to destroy the place." "They started it." "Actually _you_ started it. I saw it." I flashed a grin as I sat up, rubbing my eyes. "Is there food?" I nodded. "I put it on the slow cooker. Should be ready by now." He nodded and squeezed my chin as he passed to the kitchen. When he returned, he flopped down on the couch beside me with a steaming bowl of stew. "How'd it come out?" I asked through a yawn. "Really good. Here." He offered a bite and I blew on it before taking a bite. "Mmm. That slow cooker has been my best investment. I threw that in this morning." I swallowed before continueing. "Was it snowing there?" He nodded. "Please, let me show you where we are looking to build." Mocked the man. "Let's not. Pictures are fine." I chuckled and rubbed his leg a bit as I stood to gather some of the mess. Piling the darts and guns, I returned the pillows to the couch, and found the remote for the tv. The teens were quick to stir at the smell of food, Damian sitting up sluggishly while Mokuba grunted and moved to turn over. "Hey...Seto's home." I said, touching him with my foot. "Hmm?" He looked over and gave a sleepy smile to his brother. "I heard you released monsters in our house." Said the elder brother with a raised brow. "Maybe. I heard you told Milo where my stash of darts was." Replied the young Kaiba as he sat up. "Maybe." They grinned at one another before he nodded towards the hall. "There's soup if you guys are hungry." "I _am_ hungry." Mumbled Damian. "Me too." Gathering themselves up, they headed for the kitchen. "Thank you for staying..." Said Seto softly. "Hmm?" I asked, looking over. "Mokuba might be used to me leaving, but I would rather come home to a wrecked living room if I knew he had fun doing it." I gave the man a smile. "Of course. Anytime you need your living room trashed just call, D's an expert."

"So what's with the box?" Asked Mokuba. "It was on the porch when I came home." Said Seto, setting his bowl on the table. "Who's it for?" Asked Damian. Tilting the box up, I shrugged finding no markers as to who it might belong too. "I don't know. Doesn't say." "Open it." Said Seto, leaning back against the couch lazily. "Is it going to explode?" I asked, brow raised. "It might." I snorted and ran a finger nail under the tape, peeling it back. Inside was just one item, resting in a nest of packing peanuts. "What is it?" Asked Seto. "Some artifact." I said, unsure of what else to call it. Sitting on a rod sat a ball with broad wing-like structures, an eye in the center of the ball. "Let me see." I lifted it out of the box and went to hand it to the blue eyed man. The second his hand made contact I felt as though I stuck a fork in a socket, and a bright flash came over my eyes.

When the light dimmed, I blinked away the spots. Damian's voice broke the silence. "What the _fuck_?" I was going to scold him when I caught sight of what he had. There, in the middle of the living room was Seto. But wait... I looked over to see _my_ Seto wide eyed and just as shocked as I was on the couch. The one in the center of the floor was darker, and wore some kind of blue and white robe. "What..." I was confused. "I'm... calling Yugi." Said Mokuba, looking for his phone. "Where am I? Who are _you_?" Hissed the new comer to Seto. "Why do you have the Millennium Scepter?" "You're in _my_ home. Who the hell are you." Growled my lover. "I am High Priest Seth, one and only adviser remaining for Pharaoh Atemu." I cocked my head. What kind of nut case was this guy? "Now tell me! Why do you wear my face, and why do you hold the Millennium Rod?" "How about we start with how you got in my house?" Growled Seto. I saw the intruder growing irate, and moved to intervene. "Look. This is mine." I snatched the rod away from Seto and showed the 'High Priest'. "And it will stay mine until we get some answers." I was taken aback by the stare I received from Seth. "What do you remember?" I asked, tone much more gentle. "I was making an offering to Osiris, I had just lit the candles...when I arrived here." Said Seth. "Now return the Scepter to me woman." "I don't think so... The minute Seto touched this thing is when you showed up... I think it best that it stay with me." He moved to object, when I spoke once more. "We're calling in someone who might be able to help... until they arrive, I can assure you that no harm will come to you in this house... Why don't you sit? I'll see about getting some tea." He looked to me and reluctantly took the hand I had offered. "Seto, can you go put the kettle on?" Giving a dirty look to the newcomer, the blue eyed man stood and headed for the kitchen. "Damian, why don't you shut off the TV and see about getting our guest some soup?" Unsure of what else to do, my brother did as I bade. "Mokuba..." The dark haired teen looked up. "Do you have _any idea_ what's going on?" He shook his head. "Yugi's on his way... Hopefully that will clear some things up."

"Wait, wait, wait. So... _You're_ a Pharaoh." Yami nodded. " _You're_ a High Priest... and these... _things_ are magic." I said, looking to the Millennium Rod in my hand. Yami nodded once more. "Displaced spirits, held by the Millennium items." "And you _knew_ all that?" I looked to Seto, who shrugged. "It's a fairy tale." " _That's_ not a fairy tale Seto." I said, pointing to the High Priest. "You want me to believe magic is real." "Well! I'm not seeing a whole lot of options babe." I said, running a hand through my hair. "Okay... Okay, so what do we do?" I asked Yami, who shrugged. "The other Spirits and I have came to terms with our place in this world...so will he." My brows lifted. "But what are we supposed to do with him?" The pair smirked and I groaned a bit. "I don't know if I can deal with two... Can we alternate weekends? Every other Thursday?" Yami chuckled. "He will learn. You might be surprised. He might just teach you something in return." "I don't need to know how to mummify a goat." Growled Seto. "Kaiba, if I were you I would be more focused on harnessing the power from the Millennium Rod. Whether you choose to acknowledge it, you are it's rightful owner." Said Yugi. "Well right now, nobody gets this thing." I grunted, standing. "Where are you going?" Asked Seto. "To get some fresh air. I just found out magic is real." I muttered, stepping away from the dining room table we had been convening at.

We put Seth in what used to be my old room. "There's a fireplace if you want, all you do is use this switch..." I showed him the dial, and even had him turn it. "In here is the bathroom. It's got a large tub. You turn this switch if you want hot water, and this one for cold. Do you under..." Naked. So naked. "I wish to bathe now." Said the man. "Well..." I felt the tips of my ears burn and quickly turned my back towards him. "The soap is in there." I said with a point towards the cabinet. "You will bathe me." "I will _not_ bathe you." I said firmly. "I will see about getting some clothes from Seto." To do that though I had to get by the the very naked Egyptian in the doorway. "You are not a servant..." He grabbed my chin and forced me to look up at him. "Who are you." "I um... I'm Seto's girlfriend. His lover." His eyes were darker then Seto's, deeper. It almost made me uncomfortable to look at them. "So the children are yours." I blinked and shook my head, breaking his hold. "Those are our siblings. Our wards." "You look after them." "Yes." I stepped by and headed for the door. "Turn the knobs when the bath is full. I'll be back with clothes."

I sighed as I entered Seto's bedroom. "You get him in the guest room?" Asked Seto, running a towel through his hair, skin wet from his own shower. "More or less. Already saw him naked." That had a sharp stare my way as I smirked. "He thought I was going to _bathe him_." A frown curled the brunet's lips and I chuckled a bit. "Do you have some clothes for him? I don't want to scar the kids." He went to his closet and came out a moment later with a set of sweats and t-shirt. Holding my hand out, he just brushed by and headed for the door himself. "I'll be back." "Seto, come on-" He just shut the door behind him. Stalking down the hall, the master of the house threw open the door to the guest, heading straight for the bathroom attached. Seth was stretched in the bath, eyes shut. "What do you need hikari?" "Don't call me that." The dark-skinned man in the tub smirked. "The Pharaoh was very clear, you are my lighter half." The CEO just scoffed and put the clothes on the counter. "There is some clothing until we can figure something else out." "Very good." The Egyptian slowly stood, feeling no shame in his nudity as he stood, waiting patiently for his light to dry him off. "Milo wasn't kidding... here. You will need to learn to do things on your own." Seto's lip curled as he threw a towel at the doppelganger. "And cover yourself." "Why?" Seth smirked as he stepped out of the tub, standing on the bathmat before his copy. "Nothing you haven't seen. We share a past, we share a body, a face..." Seth wrapped the towel around his hips, smirk once more on his face. "I wonder what else we share? Or can share? That woman of yours perhaps?" A simmering anger welled in Seto's stomach, stare icy as Seth walked back into the bedroom. "Leave her be." "Why? She blushes so nicely-" A hard yank had the tan skinned man against the bedroom wall, hand tight around his neck. "You _will_ leave her be. Do you understand? This is _my_ house. If you want to stay here, you'll do as I tell you." Studying the look on his light's face, Seth nodded. "Very well. I will do as you ask." "Good."


	32. Chapter 32

**Thank you for everyone reading! Don't forget to follow and review :) BB**

 **I don't own Yugioh**

Seth was an odd man. Understandably so, given his origins. Yami had been generous enough to offer weekly lessons with the other spirits to help him adapt, but the rest of the week he was our responsibility. "He can't be left alone Seto." I said one night as I brushed out my hair, getting ready for bed. "I know." Said the blue eyed man from his desk. "So what do you want us to do?" We hadn't gone home, I hadn't gone to the office, which was fine for now, but I could only swing that so long. "The game is almost done, you assigned the last of what Noa needed?" I nodded. "Then it's up to the VR department." "What do you want me to tell my staff?" "Work on posters in advertising until they're needed again." "They're artists Seto, they need something to do." "Then find them something to do, but don't ask me if you don't want my answer." I looked over and he paused, sighing a bit. "I'm sorry, I don't know what else to tell you. Work with advertising and get the ads for the game out, when that's done... I don't know." That had a stop to me completely. "You don't know..." "Usually the art department will fade in and out, they don't really-" "Have a use unless you're working on a game?" He flinched a bit. "I've been looking at hiring people Seto. What am I supposed to tell them?" "The job's no longer available-" "That's not okay." I stood and looked at him dead on. "Why did you give me this job if it was going to be gone?" "I-" "So I could pretend I was actually _doing_ something with my life? I was so proud of myself... Why would you do that?" "Milo-" "What was the point?" "I was trying to help you!" He snapped, tired of my rant. "You wanted a job, I got you one! I didn't think it through, I'm not perfect! It's not like I have a company to run." "So let me help you." "I don't need help, I just don't need to do _your_ job too. Figure out what you're doing with your people." "Fine, I'll transfer back to accounting." "You will not." I cocked my head. "Why? What job is there for me in the Art Department if it's going away in a month?" He didn't answer, instead looking back to his laptop and resuming his typing. "It's fine. I'll figure it out. Forget I brought it up."

I was fortunate the advertising department was looking to air a commercial. It wouldn't be forever, but it would give my staff something to work on while I tried to work from Seto's, keeping an eye on the wayward Egyptian. I'd hidden the Millennium Rod, something that never stopped bugging our newcomer. "Woman, where have you hidden my scepter?" "Woman! You have stolen something that does not belong to you, return it immediately." "Let it go Seth. You're not getting it back." I replied, again and again. I felt like a stay at home mother with a toddler. A toddler that like to pray in front of his fireplace and almost set things on fire. On top of everything else, the blond, Joey, had called me and had placed interest in a job with me. Unfortunately, I wasn't sure if I had one to give him. I felt my fuse burning, and with Seto unresponsive with his game release looming, I knew I was going to snap. Damian and Mokuba were about to return to school, meaning I would need to move back home soon so Damian could resume his studies. I felt like my soup, bubbling and toiling until finally, one night, the pot spilled.

"Come on Deezer, move." I growled as I took out a set of plates for dinner, the dog right under my feet looking to get a stray bite. "Move dog." I grunted once more as I set them down for the Kaiba brothers. "What is it?" Asked Damian, looking at the plate. "Curry." Said Seto, taking his chopsticks and moving to take a bite. "Aw Milo, I _hate_ curry." Whined my brother, looking to me as I shooed the dog once more from under my feet. "Then. Starve." I growled, giving a nasty glare to the boy as I set down a plate in front of him and Seth. As I finally got my own plate, I felt my foot catch on the dog below. I would miss Deezer, but the plate would shatter on the hard floor, drawing the attention of everyone at the table. Silence fell on the room as I slowly sat up. "Milo? Are you okay?" Asked Mokuba softly. Before I could answer, I heard Seth growl from his seat. "Insolent cur!" He reached for the dog by his feet and instantly I grabbed his wrist. "You hurt that dog and I swear by every god you know I will end you." For once the smugness and arrogance was gone out of his eyes. I had intimidated the high priest. "Do you understand?" "Yes." I released him and slowly got to my feet, going to get something to clean up the mess.

A gentle hand tugged me to turn as I looked for a rag to clean up the floor in the next room. "Hey... look at me." I did as he asked, looking into my lover's bright blue eyes, clouded with concern. "Are you okay?" "No." "What's wrong?" "You." His brows pinned. "And him." I flung my hand towards the opening to the next room. "And work, and what we're gonna do when the boys go back-You know what? Let's just make a list, we'll start from the top." "Why are you so worried about that stuff?" "Considering you've basically made him my problem, it's kind of hard not too." I growled. "I'm sorry, I just don't have time for him right now-" The sound of the door slamming had us both stopping to look towards the table. Seth was gone.

It was still incredibly cold outside, even though the snow from Christmas had melted, causing me to grab an extra jacket as I bundled up. "He couldn't have left the grounds." Said Mokuba as he put his shoes on. "The gate hasn't opened." "Alright. You two take Deezer and check around front. I'll check the garden." Looking to Seto, I raised a brow. "Are you going to help us look or are you too busy?" "As far as I'm concerned he'll wander back when he gets cold." Said Seto, crossing his arms. "Well, when your heart regrows, we'll be outside." I said darkly, ushering the boys and dog out the front door. Rounding the side of the house, I started into the vast gardens that lined the estate. "Seth!" I called out, the worry growing in my stomach as I checked the gazebo, and the benches beside the roses. The time would tick by and just after the hour mark, I found him. On his knees beside the fire pit. He'd lit a small flame, but with what I wasn't certain. Draping the extra coat over his shoulders, I slowly knelt beside him, my joints stiff with cold. Studying his form, I saw he was praying. I waited patiently as he finished, his eyes opening and catching sight of his company. "What do you want?" He asked, pressing his arms through the coat. "To apologize." I said quietly. "You aren't a burden...and I shouldn't treat you like one." "You were very adamant with my hikari, that was exactly what I was." I sighed, my breath coming in a thick cloud. "I was frustrated. I still am, but not at you... You're new here, and I shouldn't be angry at you for that." "What bothers you then? I have noticed it over the last several days, you aren't yourself." "And how would you know what myself is?" I asked, a small smile on my lips. "My hikari and I share a bond." He tapped his temple, eyes on the small flame before us. "Since he does not allow me in during the day, it's only when he sleeps. He dreams of you often. Of your time together." I wanted to be happy about it, but my endless frustration with Seto as of late stopping me. "Seto is... occupied, so I feel like I'm taking up all the problems he doesn't feel is worth his time... caring for the boys, caring for you, I have a job to do, people I need to deal with, but I'm so preoccupied with the problems here, I can't do it... I feel like quitting." I ducked my head a bit. "And I've never been a quitter." "You should pray." "No, I'm not religious-" "It's not about that." He finally looked my way and those dark eyes had me trapped. "It's about surrendering your problems to a greater being, and allowing them to care for it." "But who do I pray too if I don't believe in anything?" "Everyone believes in something. Just pray, it will find it's target." He shuffled in close, his smokey voice in my ear. "Close your eyes and release your woes. Beseech those above to aid those below and release your cares into their loving hands." A cold hand wrapped around my gloved one, and his soothing croon would help. I would beg to whatever divinity that would listen of my sorrow and worries. I had just about finished when the crunch of boots on grass had my eyes open. "Milo!" I looked back to see my lover running towards us, worry clear on his features. Pulling the doppelganger to his feet, I turned to meet him. "Where have you been? The boys came in an hour ago." His warm hands cupped my face, and I finally started to feel just how cold I was. "We've been praying hikari. You should join us." Said Seth, using his feet to brush dirt over the pit. "No thanks." Seto deadpanned, looking back to me. "Are you okay?" "I'm alright, let's just get inside before anyone gets sick. He's barefoot."


	33. Chapter 33

**Questions, concerns, or errors in the story? Let me know in a review, and don't forget to subscribe, this is a work in progress! Thanks! BB**

 **I don't own Yugioh.**

Seth, unfortunately, _would_ be feeling the affects of spending several hours out in the cold with his first modern cold, and I couldn't stay to care for him. "Seto, I need to go home. Damian starts school tomorrow, and he should sleep in his own bed." I said as I packed my things from his room. "Who's going to watch the freak?" "He's not a freak, and _you_ are. You're not sticking him with some servant, _you_ are going to watch him." A clear look of refusal came over his face, and I smirked. "Fine, he can come home with me." That had the look gone. "That's what I thought. I've got my own work to get done, so it's your turn to stay home. You could use it anyway." "I can't-" "You can, and you will. Unless you want him to catch the room on fire again, which he _will_ if left unsupervised." He sighed and leaned back in his office chair, pinching his nose. "Quit that." His eyes snapped open and glared at me. "Give me all the dirty looks you want, I'm still leaving." I said, zipping up my bag. "It won't be that bad, I froze some soup for everyone, and with him sick he'll probably spend most of his time in bed." "When will you be back?" "You realize I don't live here right?" "Do you want to?" I paused before looking over, gaze narrowed. "Nice try. I'm going home." He groaned and swung to his feet. "Nothing I can do to persuade you to stay?" A soft kiss landed on my neck and I chuckled. "That's cute. Damian's waiting." "Milo..." The whine in his tone wasn't lost to me as his arms wrapped around my waist. "Seto you will be fine! I promise!" I turned and pressed a kiss to his lips. "You might try actually getting to know him. He's not that bad." "Says you." "Says Mokuba and Damian too. He's adjusting well, the spirits are helping him, but he needs you." Seto's lip curled. "Whether you admit it or not." I pressed one more kiss to his lips. "Now be good, I'll see you soon."

"Where is the woman?" Asked Seth before erupting in a string of coughing. "She went home." Replied Seto, coming in with a steaming bowl of soup. "You chased her off. Foolish." "I didn't chase her off, you did." "She did not say as much." "We were just fine before you came." "Who is to say? She seemed very upset the other day, and she admitted it was not all my fault." Said Seth, sitting up slightly. "Babysitting a millennia old spirit will take it's toll on anyone." The CEO reached into his pocket and pulled out a foil covered pair of pills. "Here, take these." "I will not. They're poison." Seto snorted, rupturing the package and drawing out the capsules. "If I did she'd never forgive me. They'll help you heal." Giving Seto a suspicious eye, the dark-skinned man took them, swallowing them with a bit of tea from his side table. "Why are you here hikari? You have servants willing and able to aid me." "She asked me too." "She would be none the wiser if you chose otherwise." "I promised her I would. Now eat your damn soup." "You fear her." Seth's smug smirk mirrored the one Seto usually wore. "I respect her, it's different." "Then why was she so distraught the day I left?" The modern copy paused and glared at the ancient one. "She was stressed." "She shouldn't be. Did she not ask for help?" "She did..." "And?" Seto ducked his stare to the soup he was mindlessly stirring. "Too caught up in your own problems? What a shame." "She knows I have priorities." "And where does she sit with those priorities?" Seto frowned and shoved the bowl at the spirit. "Eat your damn soup."

"Hey Joey. I'm glad you could come in." I said warmly as I welcomed the blond into the conference room, offering him a chair to sit in. "No problem, I was starting to wonder if you'd changed your mind about the whole thing." Replied the man as he sat down across from me. "No, just with the game wrapping up, it's been a bit crazy." "Yea? Yugi said something about that. Sounds cool." "I'm really excited for it." I said with a smile. "The only problem is that with the game almost done with, I'm afraid there isn't a whole lot of options for someone with no experience..." I saw him visibly droop. "Oh..." "So, to build you some experience, I thought you could work as my assistant for a while." I slid a sheet of paper over to him. "I have some things going on at home, things that..." I blinked as I looked over his shoulder. Oh no... Joey turned and I saw him visibly tense. "Kaiba?!" "That's not..." I sighed and looked up to where the dark skinned version of my lover stood in one of Seto's many suits. "What are you doing here?" "My hikari was very desperate to come here, but unwilling to leave me alone." Said Seth, picking at his jacket. "How did you find me?" "I asked. Most were very willing to point me in your direction." "Of course they would be. Come on." I summoned him in and saw the dirty look the blond was giving the doppelganger. "Relax, Joey. Meet reason number one I need a new assistant. Seth, meet Joey. Joey, this is Seth. High Priest to the Pharaoh." A look of realization came over his face. "This is more of that freaky magic stuff isn't it?" "So freaky." I muttered, stacking my sheets and looking to Seth. "Why are you wearing his suit?" "He insisted I wear something other then what he had given me. I found my hikari has quite good taste in clothing." I snorted before looking back to Joey. "Seth has been adjusting, but is not at the point we would quite want to leave him alone." "So you've been watching him." Said Joey, a smirk growing on his lips. "Until a week ago when I asked Seto too, you see how well that worked out. I just need someone who can help keep things under control here while I deal with this... I'll train you in everything you need to know, give you anything you need to do the job, I just need a bit of help. Would you be willing to help me?" The blond gave a grin. "With two Kaiba's to deal with, I don't blame you for needing a bit of help. Sure! Just tell me what I have to do, I'll do it." I felt the first bit of relief I had in a long time. "Thank you. You start today, but you'll need some new clothes." I looked to Seth. "So will you." "I quite like hikari's selection." "You won't get away with stealing his clothes." "They fit me very well, I don't see why not." I snorted and got to my feet. "Come on, I need to tell Seto where we're going."

Making a pit stop at the break room, I took the lift up with a nervous Joey and a nosy Seth. "What is so tempting that my hikari will allow us passage?" Asked the spirit, curious as to what I had in the container. "Dumplings. They were supposed to be _my_ lunch, but I'll eat something later." I said as we left the elevator. Passing Kiko, I spoke to her. "Is he in a meeting?" "No he's..." Her tone trailed off as she caught sight of the doppelganger. "We're _gonna_ have to find some kind of excuse for you." I said to the Egyptian as I pressed open the door, holding it for the two following. Seto was right where he usually is, but the moment he spotted us, he paused, an already irritated look crossing his face. "I wondered where you'd gotten too." "I grew tired of watching you glare at that thing." Said Seth, once again picking at the suit. "How did you even know she was here?" "He asked your scared minions. I brought you lunch." I said, rounding the desk to offer the container and receive a soft kiss. As I leaned up, he pulled me back, smirk in place. "This wouldn't have anything to do with Wheeler being here, would it?" "That's my new assistant. You need to be nice." He snorted, letting me go in favor of taking the lid off the box. "If you wanted a new dog all you had to do was say so." "Kaiba..." "You too, he _is_ your boss now." I scolded the blond before looking back to the CEO, leaning a hip on his desk. "I need the help. If I'm going to be home more, I need someone to take care of the stuff here." "Who said you could hire an assistant?" "I did." His brow rose as he took a bite. "You don't have the budget for an assistant." He said after he swallowed. "See, I think I do. Because Joey won't be making the salary Torin was. I talked to my friend in accounting already, I'm saving you money. And you like money." "I _do_ like money." He confirmed, giving Joey a steady once over before sighing. "Fine. We'll talk about it again after his 90 days." I hummed and gave a sly wink to the blond before moving from the desk. "Okay, we'll be back in a few hours." "Where are you going?" "Seth can't live out of your closet, and Joey needs work clothes." I replied. "And how are you going to pay for that?" I shrugged. "I was going to stick the pretty one on the corner and see what happens." The blue eyed man behind the desk rolled his eyes and reached into his inside pocket. Pulling two cards from his wallet, he held them out. "What is this?" I asked, taking them and looking over the one on top. "That's my tailor. I'm sure he's got dog sizes." I snorted and flicked to the other, holding it up in question. "That's my credit card." "Oooh, booze and strippers for everyone." I said with a grin to the waiting pair. "What is a stripper?" Asked Seth as we headed for the door. Drawing a bark of laughter from me.

"Eat it, I'm not going to feed you." I said to Seth. "It is dripping lard and smells of salt." Complained the spirit, dropping the burger back onto the paper. "That's the best part." Said Joey, wolfing down his own. "That's what _I'm_ saying." I muttered, wiping my mouth. Clearly unhappy with my offering, I looked around and found something else he might like. "Wait here." Popping into the small cafe, I returned a few moments later with a bowl filled with a variety of vegetables and a large piece of bread. "Here. Try this." I pulled the burger away and replaced it with the salad. Taking an unsure bite, the Egyptian nodded. "Better." "That's rabbit food." Muttered Joey. "Give him a break, manufactured burgers weren't a thing yet. He eats when I cook at home." I replied, taking a few fries from the tray in the center. "I quite like your food." Said Seth. "Which is funny considering I can't get my brother to eat it half the time. Mokuba's pretty good about it, but I have to wonder if he doesn't give some of his to the dog."

"This will do nicely." Spoke Seth, admiring himself in one of the many mirrors. The tailor was slightly confused as to the man's similarity to Seto, but the blond was quick to offer an excuse as a cousin, which seemed to satisfy him. Joey clearly wasn't comfortable in the luxurious suits that Seth and his hikari shared, but I managed to talk him into some dress shirts and slacks with a pair of vests. "I'll have you come get them when they're ready." I said to Joey. "That's all well and good, but I don't exactly have a car." Said the blond, a blush hinting on his nose. "That's alright, I can set up a car to take you, or if you're comfortable driving, you can take mine." We stepped out onto the sidewalk and I held a hand up to block the sun. "Where too?" Asked Joey. "Yes, was this not what we were out to do?" Asked Seth, readjusting his jacket. "We need something besides suits. Let's see about finding something a bit more casual..." A short walk and we'd find a few different stores. Picking out a few sets of jeans for Seth, I pushed Joey to grab some too, along with a much more suiting jacket to protect from the winter chill. I came to find out that Seth actually favored loose clothing, which actually wasn't that surprising, so I bought some harem pants for him to wear whenever he pleased. "I am pleased." Purred the Egyptian as he lounged in the front seat of my car. "I hope so, Seto's never going to let me have this thing again." "Quick, let's go get those strippers." Said Joey from the back. "Right? And a keg too while we're at it." I shared a laugh with the other American as I pulled out into the road.

The house I dropped Joey off at was not one I would have felt comfortable traveling too alone. "Are you sure you'll be okay?" I asked, giving an uncertain stare to the building. "Oh yea, no worries. So what time should I show up tomorrow?" "Actually, I'll come get you. I'll be training you from my house so I can stay with Seth. So we'll have to go get him." "You know I am _not_ a child." Growled the man in the front seat. "Would you rather stay with Seto again?" The clear look of distaste answered my question. "I'll be here 8 AM sharp." "Really? Okay..." You could tell the blond was not normally an early riser. "I'll come with coffee, okay? See you." He gave a smile and I waited until he had made it to the door before leaving. "Alright." I sighed. "Let's get you home." "Do we have too?" His response was so quiet I almost didn't hear him. I looked over to see him looking out the window at the passing city. "What's wrong?" "My hikari's home is filled with many things, but there is nothing for me to do there. Just books I cannot read, boxes filled with lights that are loud, and confusing." I suddenly hit me why Seth had been such a hand full. He was _bored_. "What do you say about a walk through the park? That always cheers me up when I'm feeling restless."


	34. Chapter 34

**On to the next chapter! Don't forget to favorite and follow, so you can get updates.**

 **I don't own yugioh**

Seth was utterly fascinated with the holograms, his face showing it's first real joy since he had came to stay. "How fortunate these children are, it wasn't nearly so simple in my time." He said as we took a short break on a park bench. "You summoned monsters?" I found the concept a bit confusing. "How?" "With our soul... we took part in shadow games, that created a vortex between our world and the next, allowing us to summon our creatures." He explained, watching the duel before us avidly. I studied his face, as our time together grew, I was noticing the differences between him and his light. Seth shared that same sharp intelligence that Seto did, but where Seto was calculating, Seth trusted his instincts a bit more. Seth's hair was longer, and tinted with a copper hue. On his hands were countless scars, from what I couldn't really imagine, and sometimes when he was thinking, I noticed he would trace them. And those eyes. Seto's could freeze your soul with a simple look, but Seth's almost seemed to swallow you with their depth, similar to that of a deep pool, or an ocean drop off. "Why are you staring?" I snapped myself out of my trance and held down a blush. "I'm sorry... I'm an artist, so I like studying people..." I muttered, a bit embarrassed. "You enjoy my image." There it was. That prideful smirk. "I like contrast... you and Seto look so similar, but... your not." "Others would disagree." "Maybe. But I would think if there was one that could find them it would be an artist." I gave my own smirk. "Besides... Seto never lit the carpet on fire." "That was an accident."

We would sit a while longer before I sighed. "We best be getting back, Seto will start to worry if we're out too long." "Very well." We stood and started the trek back to the car. "You remind me very much of someone." Said the spirit, that dark gaze on me. "And who might that be?" "She was a tomb painter." "Really?" I found a smile on my lips at the thought of it. "Indeed. At least she was, until she was brought into my harem." That brought an eye roll from me as I unlocked the car. "Ladies man, where we?" "Indeed, a great many women begged to lay with me." "But not to boast." I muttered as we climbed in. "So what happened to her? This woman?" I asked as I left the lot and headed back towards Kaiba Estate. "She died." The odd tone would capture my attention, it almost sounded sad. "I'm sorry to hear that." "As was I... She was carrying my child." Something in my heart sank. "I... I can't imagine." "It was a true loss... You remind me of her..." He repeated, his stare out to the city. Unsure of what to say, I let us lapse into silence on the ride home.

"Alright, avoid eye contact with the tall one." I muttered to the blond as we pulled up to the Kaiba Estate the next morning. I purposely waited until just before Seto normally left to show up, knowing if I came any sooner the blue eyed man and my assistant might start in on one another. Letting us in, I called out. "Hey! Who's home?" "In here." I heard Mokuba call from the dining room. Stepping back through the halls I smiled at the brothers as I entered. "Hey Milo! And Joey!?" What would have been a sweet smile from the CEO was gone instantly. "Joey is my assistant, I'm training him today." "From here?" "No, I was going back to my place, but I came to get Seth. And see you guys." I reached into my pocket and pulled out Seto's card, offering it to the brunet as he stood to take his plate back to the kitchen. "Did you get the clothes you needed?" I nodded. "What about Damian?" "What about him?" I asked, confused as he rounded up his brother's plate too. "He's still living out of his bag?" "No, he's got clothes." I growled. "When did you do that?" "Take the damn card." "Keep it." "I don't want it." I followed the stubborn man into the kitchen and Mokuba grinned, offering the blond a chair. "They'll be a minute." "They always that way?" "Mostly when Seto throws money at her." Said the younger man with a snicker. "Well, rich boy should know some people don't care for it." "Oh he knows, he just doesn't care. He just wants to help her, and doesn't know what else to do for her. She does it all herself." "That ain't no joke." "Don't you _need_ this for rich people stuff?" I growled as I followed him back into the dining room. "I have other ways to pay for rich people stuff. I have to go. Keep the damn card." I sighed and raised my hands in defeat. "Fine. But I'm not using it." "That's your choice." He lifted his suit jacket off the back of his chair and put his arms through it. Today was his white suit, and I couldn't help but smile a bit as I straightened his collar and tie. "I like this one." "Of course you do." "But not to boast..." That smirk was back and I couldn't help but match it as I pulled a bit on his tie to give him a kiss in parting. "Behave." He murmured, squeezing my chin before leaning to pick up his suitcase from beside his chair. "I'll see you later Mokuba." Said Seto, ruffling his brother's hair when he passed. "Don't stain my rug, Wheeler." "Where's your bathroom?" I smirked at the blond. Hopefully he would figure out the trick with Seto wasn't arguing, because he would just have something else to say about it. It's stumping him with something either ridiculous or funny that would force him to respond. "Cute." The CEO looked to me. "I'm taking a call with Noa at 3, I want you to be on it. He's going over what we need to do to finish the game." "I'll be there." "Good." Turning, he stepped out to where I'm sure his car was waiting out front. "I can't believe you gave up that easy." Said Mokuba, raising a brow at me. "I slipped it into his front pocket before he left. Where's Seth?" "In his room." The younger sibling grinned. "You know he'll find it." "And _not_ be here." I shared a snicker with the young Kaiba before a thought came over me. "Oh, when you get a minute, at some point I want to load a file into the game that Noa _doesn't_ know about. Can I do that?" "Sure. If you know how." "Do you know how?" "I do." "Marvelous. Think over your terms and we'll talk about it Friday when you guys come over for dinner." "Sweet." I squeezed his hand in a quick handshake before summoning the blond to follow. "Come on, let's go see how our favorite High Priest is fairing." Leading the man down the string of halls, he paused as we came down the familiar set of halls for the bedrooms. "Wait a minute." He stopped at one of the canvas pieces. "That looks like your work." I raised a brow. "What makes you say that?" "The texture, and the colors." He pointed to the image of the druid. "Kaiba let you hang your art here?" "He bought it... I was going through some financial troubles and sold them on eBay... He bought every single one. You should have seen what was there before that." I curled my nose as I found the door I was after. "Seth? Are you awake?" Receiving no answer, I opened the door and peeked inside. Naked. So naked. Pulling the door shut once more I sighed. "You know, for all those clothes I got you, you would _think_ you wouldn't walk around naked!" A muffled response was all I heard before he answered, still shirtless but thankfully a pair of the harem pants around his legs. "What?" "I said, what is the point of clothing simply to sleep in?" "So you're not naked mostly." "That is irrelevant." "To some. Get dressed, we're going to my house." "What is at your house?" "Me." I flashed a cocky grin and he snorted. "Why must _I_ go? I was going to pray." "You pray every day." "That is the point, generally." I sighed. "Come _on_ , you can do whatever you want at my house, pray, eat, whatever your heart desires." "And I cannot here?" "Seth, please, you know why you can't stay." "I am not a child. As I have told you." "I know you aren't... What would you say about seeing if the Pharaoh can come over as well? He can show you how to read my books." That had his interest. "The Pharaoh would do that?" "Don't know if we don't ask. Come on, get dressed, I'm sure Joey can give him a call." I looked to the blond who nodded avidly. "Very well."


	35. Chapter 35

**Wow, this story kind of writes itself... I wasn't planning a lot of what I wrote when I started, but you know how it is lol. I've almost finished writing the actual story, so I will continue to upload every day (time willing) So please, favorite, follow, and review! I'd love to hear what you all have to say about the story. Thank you for your time! BB**

 **I don't own Yugioh**

Thankfully, Yami _wasn't_ busy, leaving me free to teach Joey what he would need to know to help me run the department. He was a quick study, maybe it was his eagerness to learn, maybe it was his determination to show my lover that he _was_ worth something. At lunch I called for a break so I could make up something to feed everyone. Karaage was essentially fried chicken with a bit of soy sauce and ginger, and was fairly simple, filling the apartment with the smell of food. Putting the kettle on so we had tea, I found myself pleased with the meal, serving it with a side of rice and vegetables. "Alright fellas, come eat..." I turned to find all three already at my small table, eager for the entree to be set down, the dog giving wide eyes from my feet. "Everyone's hungry." I said with a chuckle, tossing Deezer a reject and setting the pan at the table. "Thank you, you are very generous." Said Yami, drawing a muffled echo from the blond who was helping himself to the rice. "Indeed. My light is truly fortunate to have such a talented woman in his harem. You would make a good wife." Yami paused, and Joey went into a coughing fit. "We don't have harems, I told you." I said to the brunet, sitting down with my own plate. "Only one woman?" "Generally." "That sounds dull." "Not if you do it right." "Besides. Kaiba's lucky with what he's got." Grunted Joey. "My light is quite desirable to my understanding." Said Seth, confused. "Kaiba's got the personality of an ice cube. No offense." The blond cracked a grin at me and I rolled my eyes. "He's never been very... forthcoming." Admitted Yami. "Oh man, it took me months to work through that... Now he's nice to me, so I don't care." I muttered. "Why?" My brows lifted at the priest's question. "Why what?" "Try? No one else has." I shrugged. "He was cute and I was... in trouble. I honestly don't know what I would have done if Seto hadn't given me the kick in the ass I needed." "He kicks you?" "No..." I smiled at Seth's question. "He pushed me to be better. For my brother." "Kaiba _does_ have a way of doing that..." Said Yami, looking at his plate. "So many duels I would wonder if I had the strength to finish, to win. Oddly enough it was Kaiba that would often remind me that I _did_ hold that power." "He just calls me dog names so..." I had to laugh at Joey's contribution, the rest quick to follow.

 _"_ _We're not long now. I'm just putting in the final touches."_ Said Noa, the screen split between Seto's and I's link. _"_ _I would almost say to start testing."_ "There's nothing left to do?" I asked, looking back as Seth cursed, a newly acquired habit from his short stay in my home. _"_ _Nope, unless Seto has last minute changes." "Not really. I do want to keep a bug log during the tests though."_ Said the brunet. _"_ _Probably a good idea, so..."_ Noa was drowned out by shouting and the sound of Deezer barking. Looking back, I saw Yami tugging on the priest, while Deezer glared. "Hang on guys. Hey! Knock it off!" I leaned over the couch and shoved the dark eyed man. "Quit. I _told_ you to leave the dog alone." "He holds no respect for the masters here." "You don't live here! He does!" I snapped. "Leave the dog be!" "Stop cursing it, it's just a dog." Said Yami, finally pulling the priest back to the book before them. "Don't curse my dog either..." I sat back forward and ran my hands over my face. "This started out so well... I can't believe I thought this was a good idea... Why'd you let me do this?" I asked the blond who grinned. "You're the boss." I sighed and peeked through my fingers at the sound of my lover's laughter. _"_ _Are we having a hard time?"_ "Deezer is very confused as to why this person that loves him is now spewing words in a weird language and threatening to send him to the shadow realm. What the hell even _is_ that?" "I'll tell you later." Answered Joey. "Send help." I whimpered. _"_ _You'll be fine. Sounds like Yami's there, there's your help."_ "I don't know..." I sent a suspicious squint over the couch. "They talk a lot in Egyptian... Makes me wonder. He also knows how to curse now, and I'm pretty sure I didn't teach him that." _"_ _Right..."_ It was clear from Noa's tone that he didn't believe me. "Cute. Keep that up you won't get your Christmas Present." I said, poking my tongue out a bit. _"_ _You got me something?"_ "Not with that attitude." _"_ _She's bluffing."_ Scoffed Seto, turning to stack a set of files and move them. _"_ _Are we done? I thought this call would actually be informative."_ "Set up a day and number of testers and I'll work on getting people." I replied before seeing one of my books get tossed across the room. "Hey! That's mine you dick!" I snapped, shooting a scathing glare at the pouting priest. "And a babysitter. Or a gravedigger. I haven't decided yet." I grumbled, grabbing my hair and pulling. _"_ _Alright, I'll set up the day and let you know." "Good."_ Noa grinned. _"_ _Good luck Milo."_ "Luck wouldn't even be enough." I grunted before giving a good natured smile to the screen. "Bye Noa." _"_ _Bye!"_ His box closed, leaving just Seto's on my screen. _"_ _Are you coming over tonight?"_ "Not for long, just to drop Seth off. If I make it that far... I'm sure I could find a nice sized ditch first." A smirk curled his lips. _"_ _Bring the boys, you can stay the night. If you're going to be... training again, it would be better to do it there."_ "I thought maybe without so much room he would be easier to keep an eye on..." I muttered. _"_ _Regardless. I'll even have the cook make your favorite. The boys can watch the freak."_ "Don't call him a freak." I said, tone actually serious. "You're an ass, but we don't call you that." "I do." Muttered the blond, drawing a smirk from me. "Most of us don't call you that. Are you coming home on time? Or should we eat?" _"_ _I should be home. If not I'll call you."_ "Alright. I'll see you later." _"_ _Alright."_ The line clicked closed and I sighed a bit. A simple 'love you' almost coming from my lips. Best keep that to ourselves.

I brought Deezer and Damian over, something special for a school night, but after the day I'd had I quite liked the thought of not having to cook dinner and watch after anyone. We waited several hours on the blue eyed man, but finally we gave in and ate. After all the trouble though, my appetite was almost nonexistent. I managed to get through about half my bowl before a burning in my esophagus forced me to quit. "What's wrong Milo?" Asked Mokuba. "Bit of heartburn, must not be agreeing with me tonight." "You're not working on another ulcer are you?" Asked Damian. "I might. With the game and everything, it wouldn't surprise me. I'll take something for it and take it easy on the spicy food. Which sucks because I love chili." I whined, spooning the soup around in the bowl with a wince. "You sure you'll be okay?" Asked Mokuba, giving me a suspicious look. "Swear. I get these from time to time. Cost of being a worrier." I gave a smile before looking to Seth. "What do you think?" "I like it." "Really?" "It burns, but in a pleasant way. Is there more?" I blinked at the sight of his empty bowl. "Here, take mine." Happy to see him eating something, I pressed my bowl over.

I would wait on the couch for my lover, flicking from show to show, trying to find something to pass the time until Seto got home. At first I was fine, but as the hours ticked by, what at first was only a mild irritation, turned into frustration. The feel of someone flopping on the end of the couch had me looking over to see Seth, his long legs propped up on the table. "My hikari is quite foolish to leave you waiting." "That's no joke..." I muttered. "Surely this is not the first time." "No..." I sighed. "It's not... It's just... He just made it sound so nice, come over, have dinner, stay the night, I guess I just didn't realize-" "That he would would not be here." I nodded. "It's disappointing." "I'm sure." I shrugged a bit. "Oh well... Is there something you would like to watch? I know you're not a fan of this thing." I said, indicating the TV. "I find it mindless, but it isn't so bad. It can be informative." "Well let's see what kind of documentaries we can find, I like watching those too."

The soothing narration from the documentary, coupled with the coziness of the couch would cause me to doze off at some point. When I reawakened, my body was still locked in sleep but my mind was slowly waking. "Do not wake her, she is very tired." "What are you even still doing up?" "Why are you only just returning? Did you not promise to be home by the evening meal?" "Shut up you freak..." The second I felt the touch on my face, my body was up and reacting, wrapping steely fingers around his wrist. When I finally opened my eyes, I blinked back sleep to see the CEO knelt before me. When I saw my white knuckled grip, I quickly released him. "What time is it?" I muttered, feeling around for my phone and lighting the face once I found it. 2:30 AM. "What the fuck." "Milo I'm sorry." "Sorry would have at least been a text saying you couldn't make it..." "I lost track of time. I swear, I got off the call with you, I blinked and it was midnight..." His hand brushed gently over my cheek. "So why didn't you text me _then_?" "I did. When you didn't answer, I figured you went to bed." I sighed and pulled away from the touch to straighten my cramped muscles. "Bed sounds like a good idea..." I stood and stepped around the couch to head for the bedroom.


	36. Chapter 36

**Next chapter! Rest assured, I HAVE finished this story, it's just a matter of posting, so if you would like to know how it ends, be sure to follow and favorite. BB**

 **I don't own yugioh**

"Quit staring at me." "Let me _in_ hikari, the Pharaoh tells me that he and his light have a link they speak through." Good lord were they still fighting? I wanted to wonder if either had been to bed, but decided against that sort of thought process so early. Fumbling into the kitchen, I found the coffee pot and poured myself a cup. As I flopped down at the table, they continued to bicker. "Even if I knew what you were talking about, why would I let you in my head?" "Afraid of what I might find?" I looked to Mokuba, who was just about as tired of hearing this as I was. "They been like this all morning?" He just nodded and I looked back to the pair. "Hey." Both sets of blue turned to me and I gave them a glare. "Shut. Up. Since day one, you two have done nothing but fight." "I am only trying to get him to-" "He won't stop-" "Shut. Up." They quieted and I sighed at the silence, letting it be for a moment. "Fact is you both are so busy trying to be better then the other you don't realize you're almost identical." I rubbed my eyes so hard I saw white flashes behind my lids. "So what would you have us do?" Asked Seto, tone cynical. " _Talk_ to one another, for god sakes. You know nothing about each other, aren't either of you the least bit interested in the other?" "No." Was chorused to me instantly and I groaned. "Fine. Talk about yourselves, because lord knows you both love doing that." I stood and moved from the table. "I'm going to get Damian." The pair watched me go before the younger Kaiba spoke up. "She's right. If Seth is going to fit in here, Seto you need to help." "I didn't ask for this." Spoke the elder brother. "Does it matter? He's here." The teen moved to follow my motion out. "I'm getting ready for school." As the boy left the room, the spirit looked to his modern doppelganger. "I didn't mean to cause such chaos in your house." "But you did." The CEO stabbed a bit at his breakfast before sighing. "It just... wasn't the best time. The game release, and with Milo's position in jeopardy..." "You're worried for her." "What I can be... there's so much that needs done..." The modern copy ran a hand through his pristine locks, frustration easy to read as he pushed his plate away. "She's so stubborn, sometimes I wish she would just ask if she needs help, so I wouldn't have to guess." "Why?" Seth cocked his head at the CEO. "She is perfectly capable of handling her affairs. Why do you need to intercede?" "Because she shouldn't have to struggle. I don't want her too." That had a smirk on the priest's face. "Well it isn't what _you_ want hikari. She is grown, she knows what she can handle better then you do." "So what do I do?" "For a start I wouldn't make a promise I couldn't keep." That had a wince across Seto's face. "For another, I would remind her of what she means to you... not with riches, but with time." A deep rumble left the priest as he took a bite from his plate. "All the gold in the world does not a happy woman make."

"Hey..." I was caught by the sleeve of my shirt as I was passing to get another cup of coffee. My brows lifted at my blue eyed adonis. "I'm sorry I haven't been the best to you... I'm still trying to figure this out..." Catching my chin, I saw the truth in those deep azure gaze. "That's no excuse, but I want you to know I'm going to try to be better. Will you be patient with me?" I gave a soft nod and was rewarded with a smile, sending butterflies up in my stomach. His kiss was sweet, and when we parted, he pressed another to my forehead. "I promise, I'll be home for dinner tonight, may not be every night, but I can do tonight." I nodded and sent him off with one more kiss before gathering a few things off the counter to drop Damian off at school and go pick up Joey.

I would use my time with Joey to accumulate a list that might be willing to participate in the game trials. The spirits and their lights would participate, along with Joey, and a woman by the name of Mai Valentine. "She's a great duelist, she uses these harpy ladies and-" A blush grew over the blond's face at my knowing smirk. "Duelist huh?" "She is though." "Uh-huh." I flashed a grin. "That and she _has_ done trials for Kaiba before." "Really? Awesome. That works." I made a face as the irritation grew in my stomach. It started after I'd picked up the blond and had lasted several hours. "You okay?" "Yea, just some heartburn. It's been bugging me a while. I think I popped an ulcer with all this fuss." "That's not good. You go to the doctor?" "For an ulcer? Nah." I snorted and went to reach for my tablet when he stopped me. "Maybe you should." I raised a brow. "I don't mean to overstep or nothin' but you been working just as much as Kaiba on all this fuss, and now with... you know..." He nodded slightly towards where the priest was dozing on the other end of the couch. "You got a lot of people dependin' on you right now... You can't forget to take care of yourself too." "I'll be alright." "I mean it..." It was the first stern tone I'd heard from the blond. "If nothing else, the doc will give you something to make you feel a bit better." That was true. "Alright... I'll make the appointment, okay? The boys have been bugging me a bit about it anyway."

True to his word, my lover _would_ be home by dinner, and would actually sit down to eat it with us. While I was clearing away the dishes, strong hands ran over my hips, and a kiss would land on my neck. "Leave the dishes." I hummed and leaned into his touch, happy to forget about my worries for a while under his seductive care. Very quickly, I would lose sense of everything but him, time and time again he brought me over the cusp of climax, before joining me in bliss. As I held him close, listening to his heart beat, I felt it. Starting deep within, the urge grew and grew before I said it, almost scared to break our peaceful wonder. "I love you Seto." "You too Milo." He murmured, already in the workings of sleep. And just like that, I knew I should have just kept it to myself.


	37. Chapter 37

**Sorry for the last chapter being so short, but I wanted all of this put together. If you like the story, fav and follow! BB**

 **I don't own yugioh**

"I've never been more excited." I was positively buzzing as my lover and I took the lift down towards the basement. Test day was upon us. Damian was staying with Seth at the vast Kaiba Estate, Mokuba had gone down a few hours prior to prepare the pods. "I've been looking forward to this myself." Replied Seto, his hand finding mine and lacing them together. "I couldn't have done this without you." He murmured, bringing the hands up to kiss the back of mine, drawing a smile on my lips. As the lift doors opened my smile turned to a grin. "Are you ready?" "As you are." We walked the familiar path towards the testing room, finding our testers had shown up and had been loaded into the program, minus a few. "Great timing guys, they're going through the character creation now." "Where's the rest of them?" Asked Seto, scanning the pods. "Ryou said Bakura wasn't interested, and took Marik with him." A clear look of discomfort covered the boy's face. "I wasn't complaining." Seto snorted, before looking to me. "You ready?" I nodded and he offered a hand to help me into a pod of my own. Taking a deep breath, I held down the panic at the thought of being trapped in the bubble. "You know the drill right?" He murmured. "Just count back from sixty, right?" "You got it." I shut my eyes and I heard the lid shut. 60...59...58...57- A sharp buzzing would draw my eyes open to see a large 'Warning' flashing across the lid of the pod. The lid popped back open and I sat up, a frown on my lips. "What happened?" Asked Seto, looking to his brother. "I don't know. It's popping up an error." "What's the code?" Seto stepped around the panel to look at the screen his brother. " ." Replied the teen. "That's a medical failsafe." Seto looked to me. "Are you okay?" "Yea." His stare narrowed and I gave a clear look of confusion. "Honest! I don't know." "It doesn't just go off Milo." He scolded. "I don't know! Honest." "You're not sick." "No." His brows lifted, and he crossed his arms. "She said something about an ulcer... would the computer sense that?" Said Mokuba, wincing at my dirty look his way. "When did she say that?" "I don't know..." "I have an appointment for it. I swear, it's nothing. I get them all the time." I said, giving a begging look to the blue eyed man. "Don't make me miss out because that stupid thing." Seto sighed but typed in a code to override the error. "It might have caught a lower immune system, we'll let it go..." Turning that sharp stare my way, he emphasized his next point. "For now." I gave a relieved smile and sat back as the pod shut once more. 60...59...58...

The game loaded Seto and I's file automatically, allowing us to arrive in our full armor, the other's arriving one by one as they finished the tutorial creation. Mai had chosen an elf druid from the look of her, while Yugi had chosen a half-elf sorcerer. Yami had chosen to stay human, but as a paladin, his god's symbol brazen across his breast-plate. A white haired boy I had yet to get the name of looked like an elf, but he was either a ranger or a rogue. A dark-skinned man whom I also wasn't sure the name of was in monk's robes, his form human. Then there was Joey. "What?! I didn't pick this!" Clad from head to toe in fur, the blond had a pair of floppy ears and a fluffy tail. For a long moment, all I could do was stare. It was an amazing piece of work. I heard Seto rumble, a quiet chuckle slowly growing in his chest. "Did you do that?" I asked, ducking my head to hide my amusement. "I did." His blatant admission had a laugh escaping my throat, drawing the group's attention to us. "Kaiba?! Did you do this?" "It's fitting." "Why you-" "Easy." I waved down the blond with a smile. "System! Override Seto's hack!" I called. _"_ _Authorization?"_ "Palistine." _"_ _Authorization failed. Admin override not allowed."_ I shot a dirty look at a bark of laughter from my lover. "That's cheap." "Oh come on, it suits him." "Fix it." "Fine..." A sharp snap would bring forward heavy armor plating, his skin scaly. Looks like he'd chosen a red dragonborn. "Noa?! Are you nearby?" I called out. _"_ _Always."_ Came a cheery voice from above before the boy materialized before us. "Glad to see you all made it." He greeted the group. "Noa is the head of the VR team." I explained to the group. "He helped us make the game as close to reality as we can be." "Aren't you the pipsqueek from battle city?" Said Joey, giving a suspicious stare toward the green haired teen. "I am... I've been working for Kaiba corp for a few years now. Pushing the VR." He explained patiently. "You're not... after..." Asked Yugi, unsure of his question. "Your bodies are safe." Reassured Noa. "Speaking of..." A soft voice came from the blue eyed man in my ear. "Mokuba put in the file you asked for." I gave a smile. "That's right! Noa, I owe you a Christmas gift." The boy raised a brow and sent a curious look my way. "System! Load Noa's gift." Said Seto. _"_ _Hidden file accessed. Admin authorization granted. Loading Noa's gift."_ A shining glimmer started at his feet and worked up, leaving in it's wake, a body of worth. Stronger, taller, and broader, in an instant what was a boy grew to the age he belonged. His hair had grown, and gone were his boyish cheeks, holding his father's cheekbones and mother's soft chin. The light faded and at first he seemed confused. "What-" He stopped himself and held his throat. "Merry Christmas Noa." I said softly, drawing his attention to me. Summoning a mirror to take in his image, shock flickered over his new face. "You did this?" I stepped over and studied him close. "Well I drew it up, looks like your team did an _awesome_ job-" The mirror vanished as he walked through it, arms wrapped tight around my waist in an embrace.

"Listen up you dorks. Each of you has a set of dice at your disposal." He indicated a brace on his arm, a matching one on each of the other players. "To access it, all you have to do is press your hand to it." He showed by example, and in an almost ghostly image, a full set hovered over his arm in a line. "Automatically the one you need will be highlighted." He picked a 20- sided and it enlarged to roll before him, a opalescent blue in color, a 16 flashing as it stopped rolling. "Sound easy enough?" "Wonder what mine are." I muttered to Noa as I looked to my brace. "I made those special for you." Said Noa, a wide smile in place. "Ohh!" I summoned them and rolled, my grin widening as I saw it as a splattered paint design of all colors, a metallic shine causing it to shimmer. "Good pick Noa. I dig it." He gave a prideful smirk and I looked back to the group. "Give it a try." Several ghostly dice appeared before the team, and I looked to Noa. "You can't adventure without armor. You're a sitting duck!" "You are so right." Said the teen, summoning a dark armor plating over his form, a mace at his side. "Cleric! Nice." He flashed a grin. Looking back to Seto, I smirked. "We going to fight something or what?" "You looking to pick a fight?" "Always." The blue eyed man drew his sword and I quickly followed suit, Noa pulling his mace as a deep rumbling started from the ground below.

Within seconds a huge worm irrupted from the earth, it's mouth a huge endless spiral of teeth. Tentacles emerging with it, it used them to haul itself up onto the clearing. "It's Wicked Worm Beast!" Said Yugi from behind us. "It's ugly." I said, curling my nose. "Roll initiative." Said Seto to Noa and I. Bringing up our dice, I rolled a 14, which then flared to a 16. "Your stats will automatically add in to your dice rolls." Explained Seto, who had rolled an 18. "This is great. All the fun without the math." I said to Noa with a smirk. "When it's your turn, or you need to roll, your brace will glow." Explained the blue eyed man, his own shining to indicate he was first. "First you roll to hit." A 20-sided flashed a 17, which bumped to a 22 with his stats. "Then you attack." I watched him dive forward, sword at the ready. With a great leap, he jumped and swiped at the beast, it's cry piercing the sky as he landed a hard hit. "How do you get damage?" I asked as he returned. "The system rolls for you, as long as you hit." I looked to Noa. "Your turn." "Sweet." He swung his mace, and rolled to hit. An 8 would jump to a 14, but I wasn't sure if that was enough. "Did he hit?" I asked Seto who shrugged. "You find out when you attack." The teen ran in, his mace held high, but at the last moment, a tentacle whipped out and wrapped around his arm and the mace, pushing him back. "Nice..." I nodded, impressed. "Your turn." Said Seto. "Alright!" I rolled my dice, my heart soaring as a 20 glowed from my dice's face. "YES!" I called, watching as a bright gold light soared from my dice to my blade, wrapping it in it's glow. "A natural 20 is a critical hit, and all damage is doubled." Seto explained, giving me a smirk. "Have at it." With an almost wild hoot, I took off, sword at the ready. Unlike my first trip, this time my sword art seemed almost natural. I knew just how to move, how to jump, how to swing. Running up it's squirming body, I gave a giant leap and swung my blade down, it's light irrupting down and over the worm, spreading and breaking up it's form. With a loud screech the creature shattered, much like in a duel. From above a card floated down, and I caught it. "Did you _see_ that?!" I called back, drawing a smirk from my lover. Strutting back, I bumped Noa's fist as I looked at the card in my hand. It showed the duel monster in it's natural form, as a card. "When a monster is destroyed, you can decide to keep it, so it can be used in battle." Said Seto, showing the group the monster we had just defeated. "What happens after it's summoned?" Asked Yami. "So long as it isn't destroyed, you can keep it. But once it's gone it's gone. Each player can have up to 10." "How interesting." Commented the white haired man, his hand coming out. "May I see?" Seto handed over the card and the group took turns looking it over. "Does anyone have any questions?" I asked. "How do spells work?" Asked Yugi. "Anyone with any spells, so looks like you, Mai?" The woman nodded, showing I'd gotten her name correct. "Yami? Did you choose a Paladin?" The spirit nodded and I looked to the pair I wasn't totally familiar with. "What's your name dear?" "Ryou." "Did you choose ranger?" He nodded. "You too then. And you are?" "Malik." Said the monk with a kind smile. "Good! So your chi will work in a similar way. Each day you have a set number of spells you can use. Depending on your class, you can pick those spells during a long rest, which will heal you and regain your spell slots. To use it, all you have to do is say so. Noa? Would you be so kind?" The green haired teen nodded. "I cast Guidance on Palistine!" Called the teen, his hand coming out towards me. "Guidance gives you an added bump to your roll to hit." He explained as I summoned my 20-sided. A soft glow wrapped around it as I went ahead and rolled, turning my 17 into a 19, which was then bumped to a 21. "Very nice." "Your classes' spell list, along with any questions on spells can be accessed by your brace." Said Seto, looking to Mai. "Swipe left and right to see it." She did as he bade, a small list appearing just above her arm. "That's convenient." She commented. "It will also hold any special talents that come with your class, along with proficiencies and stat totals." I brought mine up, and saw I was proficient with any melee weapon, giving me a +1 automatically. It showed my armor class and total hit points. "Keep an eye on your hit points. Once you hit zero, you have 3 tries to stabilize yourself before you're dead. Game over." Said Noa. "What happens then?" Asked Malik. "You start at level one and create a new character." Said Seto. "What? You lose it all?" Exclaimed Joey. "That's harsh!" "Then I suggest you don't let yourself drop that low." Replied Seto. "Every battle and quest will reward you with gold, which can be used in the game to buy potions, although, my suggestion would be nice to the druid. She's got all sorts of healing spells in her arsenal." I said with a wink to the blond woman, who grinned. "You hear that? You better be _nice_ Joey!" "What?! I'm always nice."

We set off on a simple quest to allow the new players to test out their talents. As a reward, each were given the chance to pick out a rare style of dice wrap. "I _always_ liked playing a druid. It's really fun." I said to Mai as the boys started on finding another monster to fight. "I thought it looked interesting, how does the shape change work?" "To my understanding you should have a list with your spells that gives you options. Once you get to a higher level, you can decide if you would rather pursue more spells, or specialize in shape change." I explained. "Which did you pick?" "I've done both, but I always liked the spell casting features. I was always the healer though, so the more spell slots the better. You will always be able to shape change though, one way is just more dedicated to the beast shapes." "That's interesting!" "It's really fun. And you get certain perks being a druid, you can sense weather patterns, commune with nature, make allies with animals easily." "A nature witch." "Exactly!" I smiled. "I think Seto put in that when you pass level ten as a druid you can carry more then just the 10 monsters. Something about befriending them." "Good! I have a specific set of monsters I'm looking for, and the more the better." "That's right, Joey mentioned you have a favorite. Harpy lady?" She nodded, a proud smile on her face. "When my Harpy Ladies are in a flock, there's no stopping them." "That's great! Good to know you've decided to play more." She gave an excited nod. "I like it! This new game is amazing. It hits home with the collector in each of us." "Good to hear." "Yugi said you helped Kaiba make it?" I shrugged. "He and I came up with the idea late one night, I drew up a few things and we started working with Noa." I nodded towards where the dark armored teen walked beside Seto, both discussing potential weak spots in the programming. "Noa did a lot of the work, but anything he needed I drew up. When you guys start in on the plot, you'll meet more characters, I drew those with my team." "Wow. That's a lot of work." I shrugged once more. "Not as much as those two. It's been a long struggle, but now that we've finally got it in the final stages, I'm ready to see what's next." As we came to a small village, the group started to spread out and explore. "One more thing." I commented as she turned to head towards a merchant. "What's that?" "I hear _rumor_ Harpie Ladies roost in the mountains." I shrugged, trying for nonchalant as Seto returned to my side. "And just what are you up too?" "Girl talk." "Right..." He bumped my chin as he walked passed, giving me a chance to flash a grin and a wink at the other woman.


	38. Chapter 38

**This story's finished, so if you would like to see how it ends, don't forget to follow and review!**

 **I don't own yugioh**

I stretched as I exited the pod, moving to stand but stopping as a wave a nausea ran over. A wince crossed my face as I rubbed my stomach. "You okay Milo?" Asked Mokuba. "Feel like I'm going to be sick. That trip back just isn't a friend to me." I muttered. "Take it slow. Nausea is normal." Commented Seto as he crawled out of his own pod, bypassing the others as he made his way over to where I sat. I shut my eyes and rested my head on the side of the chamber, trying to focus on the cool metal. "Anyone else sick?" Asked Mokuba as the group slowly started gathering themselves together. Several shook their heads and I felt my lover's soft touch brush my hair back. "Just have to be difficult." "Duh." I took a deep breath and felt a familiar jolt in my stomach. "I'm gonna be sick." I said, drawing the younger Kaiba to pass over a can just in time for me to heave into it. Lifting myself to lean over the side, I groaned as I rested a moment. "You can go." Said Kaiba to the hesitant group. "Will she be okay?" Asked Yugi, wide eyes filled with concern. "She's fine." "Her body's not been exposed to the VR as much as you all have." Said Mokuba, trying to reassure the group. "She'll be okay once she acclimates." Unsure, but with no reason to question the younger Kaiba, they turned to leave, Malik looking to Ryou. "I haven't been either and I'm okay..." "Maybe it's just depends on the person." Replied the light, heading out with the rest. Taking a seat at the end of my pod, the blue eyed man brushed my hair back once more, running his fingers through the dark locks. Keeping my eyes shut, I let the feeling of the pod and the man beside me slowly stop the spins.

It would take a few weeks of human tests before Seto and Noa both felt confident in it's release. "I scheduled a press conference for the 20th of January." Said Seto, looking around the table at the different department heads. "Do we have a release ad?" Asked Mechin, head of distribution. "We do." Said Seto, looking to the head of Advertising who waved at the door. In came a large cardboard standee, it's form instantly familiar. Several turned to look my way and I only glared at the CEO. Palistine stood in full armor, hand out in offering. 'Ready for the adventure of a lifetime?' Over her shoulder with the KC logo and 'Dungeons of Duel Monsters' in elaborate font. "Palistine is the character that will walk new players through their tutorial, along with being a key plot figure. We thought it best to put her as the face of the game." Explained the advertising head patiently. "Who decided that?" I asked quietly, stacking my sheets of notes. "I did." Said Seto. "Shocker..." I muttered. "Anyone have a problem with the ad?" Asked the CEO. No one spoke up, which wasn't surprising to me. "Then we'll go ahead with the launch. Report to me should anything arise." Said Seto, dismissing the group. I waited until they filed out before giving a disapproving look his way. "Why did you do that? My face is going to be everywhere." "It's based of _your_ paintings, it should be." "You didn't even ask." "I thought you'd like it." I sighed and leaned back in the chair. "I just don't want anyone to portray this as favoritism. You know they were all thinking it." "So? You helped create the game dear, you deserve it." Said the executive, placing all his sheets into a folder. "I did not." "You did, whether you want to admit it or not, this wasn't _just_ my idea." "My my, famous Kaiba Seto sharing the credit..." I teased. "I'll give credit where it's due." He said with a quiet chuckle, looking my way as I rubbed my stomach with a wince, the heartburn back once more. "You feeling any better?" I shook my head and gave a clear face of distaste. "It's getting worse, but I've got an appointment set for tomorrow." "You going to have him look at your wrist too?" "No." He gave me a stern look and I rolled my eyes. "I'm just giving you a hard time. I'll bring it up." "Good."

"I think it's an ulcer. I've had them before." I explained to the doctor as he took my vitals. "Have you been under a lot of stress?" "Yea. There's been a project at work that's been pretty demanding." "Really. Well it's certainly possible. I'll bring in an ultrasound and have a look. Let's get some blood too while we're at it, we'll check your Ph balance. Sometimes that can cause some problems too." He scribbled a few things down on my file. "Anything else that's been bothering you?" "I'm supposed to tell you about my carpal tunnel." I muttered, resisting the urge to roll my eyes. "Supposed too, huh?" Said the doctor, a smile on his lips as he took a hold of my wrist. "My boyfriend is pretty adamant about it." "Well, numbness, tingling?" I nodded. "Sometimes I can't feel it at all. Usually when I've been doing a lot of drawing though." "That would do it." He ran his fingers over my wrist before finding a small nub at the base of my hand, drawing a hiss as he pressed down on it. "Do you wear a brace?" "I'm supposed too..." He gave me a scolding look and I nodded. "I'll try and do better about it." "Alright. Aside from that though there's not a lot I can do. Surgery, but there's no promise it won't come back." I nodded. "Do you need anything for the pain?" I shook my head. "It's not painful, more annoying." "It can do that. I'll make a note of it and write you a new prescription for a brace, you _need_ to use it. That will help it get into remission." "Yes sir." I replied. He smiled a bit. "I'll also give you one for an antacid to help with that heartburn. Once a day for a month, then we'll see where we go from there." "Alright." "Great. The tech will be in to draw some blood and we'll do the ultrasound just to make sure there's no big bleeders." I nodded and he stepped out.

The ultrasound would come back clean, and the lab results would be back in a week to confirm that everything was alright, except one thing. One teeny tiny, very big thing that explained _everything_. With the game release looming, I found myself reluctant to say anything to anyone. Damian would notice though. "What's wrong with you?" Asked the teen, flopping next to me on the couch, Deezer snuggled in on my lap. "Nothing D, just nervous with the game release." I said, trying to dismiss the boy. "That's crap. Wanna try again?" I rolled my eyes, leaning my head on my hand as I slouched back into the couch. "No." "Come on, you sick or something?" I looked over and he frowned. "Are you?" "In a sense..." "Fuck me, you're pregnant." My dark glare had his hands up to his mouth. "Fuck, you _are._ " "D, for god sakes watch your mouth." I muttered, looking back to the TV. "You have to tell him." "What good is it going to do right now? There's plenty of time to tell him _after_ the release." "You can't keep this from him!" "I can. Honestly I didn't even want you to know..." "What?" His tone was clearly hurt and I sighed. "Look D, might be hard to believe, but this _isn't_ my first time, it's happened before." His brows pinned in confusion and I tucked my gaze to where Deezer lay snoozing. "Once when I was 15... another time when I was 19." "What happened to them?" "I lost them. It happens." "Is that normal? What-" "Can we just drop it?" I asked, drawing his silence. We stayed that way a long minute before he spoke, tone almost silent. "Was it mom?" I ran a hand over my chin, unsure if I should answer. "One was... I lost the other a week after I found out, so I'm not sure about that one." "You should still tell him." "I will D." "Good. Because he's not mom." My brows pinned and he met my gaze. "He's not going to be mad at you for this." "I didn't think he would be." "Yea you did. You're scared to tell him because you're scared he's going to get mad like she did." God I hated this kid sometimes. "Nut up and tell him, you can't hide it forever." "Alright... Alright, I'll tell him after the press release... I just... don't want to worry him." Accepting of my answer, the boy nodded, turning back towards the television.

"Good lord where did you get that..." Murmured Seto as I joined him in the lobby of the KC tower. I wore a black dress, it's form clinging to my curves. The top was off my shoulders, but gave a small sleeve down to my elbows. The hem was raised in the front but long in the back, giving just the right about of leg to make it look like they went for days. A matching set of heels were just the right height to ensure I wasn't stumbling all over myself. My hair was pinned into a messy bun, a set of ebony sticks keeping them in place, a bit of bling on their ends standing out and matching the teardrop earrings and bangles I wore. With Seto's gift standing out around my neck. "Your tailor was more then happy to help me find something." I smirked. "Did I pick well?" "Very well." His satisfied smirk had pride growing inside. I hung onto it. I knew I'd need it. "I do have something to talk to you about. After." I motioned to the doors where the reporters were eagerly waiting for us to open the door. "Are you alright?" His brows pinned as he gave me a calculated look. "I'm just fine. Really." I gave him a smile and he settled quickly. "Wow! Milo you look amazing!" I smiled at Mokuba as he came over, still in his jeans and vest. "And over dressed by the looks of it." "Nah, I never dress up for these things." "Even if I've asked him too." Muttered his brother with a small sigh. "Eh. They'll be okay." I had to smile at the younger brother's laid back nature. For every trait the brother's shared there was almost always one that set them apart. "Sir? Are you ready? We're about to open the doors." Spoke Roland. Seto nodded and looked to us. "Let's go." He indicated the large platform set up before the large statue of Blue Eyes. Several of the posters designed by my department, along with the standee were waiting. Large screens were set up on either side with a camera set up pointed at the podium. It was there I found a very special someone. "Noa." I embraced the teen, who gave me a wide smile. "You look great Milo." He said kindly. "Me? Look at you!" I lowered my voice. "You look human." "With my new image, Seto was able to give me a robotic body. Everything else is cosmetic." He flexed his hand and I heard an almost silent whirring coming from it. "How does it feel?" "It will take some getting used too, but I've been practicing with Mokuba." I looked to the younger sibling who grinned. "We wanted him to have the chance to be here, so you and him can talk about the game's build." Said Mokuba. "What? Talk? No. Nobody said anything about that." I grunted, giving a clear look of panic. "You may not, don't worry." Assured the younger brother. "Please be seated." Said Roland as he ushered by, fixing last minute details as the press streamed in. Sitting alongside the three Kaiba's, I calmed the growing nervousness inside. 20% posture 80% attitude. You can do this. I pressed my hands into my lap to stop my fidgeting, and sat straight in my chair as I looked over the crowd. Many were unremarkable, blending with the next, but one in the back caught my attention. He looked familiar, but I couldn't place where on earth I'd met him at. He was bald, with a scar on his chin. He didn't look any different then the rest of the crowd, a press badge around his neck and a recorder in his pocket. Where did I know him from? I was drawn away from my conundrum by my lover standing from his spot beside his brother and heading towards the podium. "Thank you, I want to welcome you all to Kaiba Corp's very first virtual reality release. Magnificent strides were taken to not only make this game a reality, but to make it available to the public." I'd never seen Seto this way. I'd seen him cold, and cocky, but now he was almost diplomatic. He was poised, calm, but with a confidence and pride in what he was saying. He believed in what he was releasing, and knew it would be successful. "Long hours were put in by not only our Virtual Reality department, but our art department to ensure every game is flawless. This game isn't just an adventure, it is an _experience_. From character creation to quests, every last bit of you is involved." He stacked his note cards on the podium and placed them back inside his suit. "This game combines the action of a duel with the hands on approach of Dungeons and Dragons, giving you the _ultimate_ gaming experience. It's with great pleasure I show you Dungeons of Duel Monsters." The lights dimmed and Seto sat down for a moment as the trailer loaded onto the large screens. Action filled footage captured from the beta trials filled the screens, all in first person. _'Create your own character'._ Images from the class and background selection appeared. _'Choose your weapon.'_ Several different dice appeared, next to a color dial. _'Gain allies.'_ A familiar image appeared, her oil-slick armor shining as she drew her sword to protect the player against what appeared to be a Silver Fang duel monster. _"_ _Need a bit of help?"_ She asked, shoving the wolf back and giving a smile. It wasn't my voice, but it was close. Close enough to know whomever Seto had picked to voice her was picked because of the similarity. _"_ _I'm Palistine! I'm here to show you everything you need to know about getting by in this world."_ Said the woman, offering a hand to the prone player. _'Play online as a group or finish the story to unlock endless customization options.'_ It showed Joey's character, his sword aflame as he let out a sweep of fire breath from his dragon-like mouth. _'Collect your favorite monsters, and battle side by side.'_ It showed Yami side by side with Dark Magician Girl, and Mai with a flock of Harpy Ladies. "This turned out great..." Said Noa, looking towards me. "I agree." _'Reserve your time in a KC Pod today!'_ Flashed across the screen and my lover took to his microphone as the lights returned. "Does anyone have any questions?" Several people raised their hands and Seto pointed to one and they stood. "You said you want to take this game to the public. How are you planning on doing that?" "Kaiba Corp has plans to install five pods in gaming centers in Domino, with hopes to stretch into Tokyo within a year." The reporter sat down and another was chosen. "How will allotted time in a pod work?" "Players can pay for up to an hour. One hour in a pod is roughly about 24 hours in VR time." Responded the CEO. "Next?" One stood towards the back. "Where did the idea for Palistine come from?" "Palistine was a creation made by our head of the art department, Milo Newman, and animated as a character to help aid new players through game play." "Yes, but where did she _come_ from." Seto raised a brow before turning to look towards me. Noa gave me a soft elbow to my ribs. "Dammit." I grumbled, raising to stand beside my lover at the podium. "I created Palistine as a D and D character many years ago, and would eventually paint her. I thought it would be a nice addition to the game." "So she isn't based off you?" "10 years ago she was. I made her as a Cleric, a healer. Something that's very useful to a new player." I replied, pointedly avoiding the insinuation the reporter was trying to bait me with. "Miss Newman!" Was called all through the crowd as people raised their hands with questions. God dammit. I indicated one in the front and she stood. "Miss Newman, what do you say to the allegations that you were given your position because of your relationship with Mister Kaiba?" I heard a sigh from my lover, but answered anyway. "I'm sorry, but you're obviously confused. This a game release. If you do not have a question about the game, I kindly ask you keep it to yourself. That's not why we're here." I looked over the crowd. "Does anyone have a question regarding the _art_ of Dungeons of Duel Monsters." All of a sudden, my name wasn't such a commodity. For a long moment nobody spoke. Then, from the center of the group stood a small, mousy woman with large glasses. "What kind of process was used to take your drawings and make them a part of the game?" "Monsters, characters, and scenery, would be drawn up in my department and sent the the VR team where they worked to turn that into virtual reality." "Was there any certain way that was done?" It was the same woman. I shook my head. "Each artist in my department has a specialty, and that was critical for our success. I have one who is _incredible_ at drawing animals, which would prove crucial when it came to drawing up the monsters for the game." "Miss Newman, what did _you_ specialize in?" This was another reporter in the second row. "I spent most of my time working one on one with the head of the VR department to ensure the key plot characters where taken care of. You have to understand, this game wasn't just the work of one department, it was essential that the VR and us work hand in hand, and I have to say I am truly impressed with the way it came out." The crowd quieted and I spoke once more. "Any more questions for me?" Nobody spoke and I thanked the group before returning to my seat. Piece of cake.

After the conference was over, I received a pointed stare from the CEO before he started for the lift. As I scrambled to catch up, I was uncertain. Had I said something wrong? As we boarded the elevator, he didn't say anything, and I looked to him questioningly. Disinclined to answer, he breezed through the lobby on the top floor, passed what used to be my desk and Kiko, who was trying to get his attention. "Kaiba-Sama you have a call on 3, and an appointment-" "Hold it." He grunted, pulling open the door to his office. No sooner had the latch caught shut were my lips taken in a fierce and powerful kiss, back pressed firmly against the smooth wood of his door. A large hand ran down my side and pulled a leg up his hip. Pulling back to desperately catch my breath, I blinked at his passion. "Did I do alright then?" I asked with a breathless chuckle as he suckled on the junction between my neck and shoulder. "You did _wonderful_. Took everything I had not to take you right then." I rocked my head back, a smile on my face. " _That'd_ be a press conference." A deep rumble left him as his hand slipped under my skirt to grab a handful of my backside, groaning when he found nothing beneath. "Good lord woman you're going to kill me." I could feel his excitement against me and smirked. "I thought you might like the dress." "Know where it'd look better?" "Hmm?" "On the floor." I flashed a grin before the door beside us was thrown open. "Seto, when are you wanting to leave-" A hard blush burned over my face as the younger brother intruded into the office. Shock covered his face as he spotted us. "In the _office_?" He asked, disgust clear as he turned away. "He started it." I grunted, straightening myself and my dress. "Get your hand out of there." I muttered, pushing the CEO's hand out from under my skirt. He grumbled something about it being fine a minute before, but did as I asked. "I wanna go home Seto." Reiterated Mokuba as his brother seated himself at his desk with a bit of a wince. "I've still got a few things to do here. I can't leave just yet." "We shouldn't leave Damian alone with Seth too much longer anyway. I haven't gotten a call yet, but best not push our luck." I went around and lifted the purse I had stashed under his desk before the press release had began. "Give me a kiss." I demanded as I put the strap over my shoulder. Catching my chin he gave a lasting press to my lips. "We'll finish this when I get home." He murmured. "I hope so." I gave a smile as I started for the door. "I'll see you at home." "Wait." I paused as went to open his door. "What did you want to talk to me about?" "Oh... I'll just tell you when you get home." His brow lifted but let it go. "I'll see you later, love you." It was habit more then anything, years of telling Damian the same thing, I wasn't even really expecting an answer. The one I got kind of made me wish I hadn't. "You too."


	39. Chapter 39

**Thanks everyone who has reviewed, saved, and followed! BB**

 **I don't own yugioh**

It irritated me. Just say it _back_. Why did he even bother telling me to begin with if he didn't like saying it? My internal struggle was interrupted by the younger brother. "You okay?" I looked over to see him looking a bit worried. "You're quiet." I shrugged. "Just tired. Big day, kind of glad it's over." "Me too honestly. I miss our routine." "Routine?" We stepped out of the lift and headed for the car waiting out front. "Fridays... we haven't done them in a while..." I waved off the driver to pull the handle on the limo door, giving a squeeze to the teen's shoulder as he climbed in. "I know, it's been so crazy with first the holidays then the game... Seth." I snorted as I got in, shutting the door behind me. "I'm sorry, I've just had a lot on my plate." I muttered, crossing my legs and looking out the window. "It's not anyone's fault... I just miss it." "Me too hun." I said, looking over to give him a sad smile. "Hopefully things straighten out soon." My brows pinned as I caught sight of the neighborhood outside. This wasn't the way back to the Kaiba Estate. "What's wrong?" Asked the teen, turning around. "Where are we going?" "I'm not sure." Pressing the button for the driver's intercom, I spoke. "Driver, you've missed your turn, we're supposed to be going up town..." I didn't receive an answer. "Driver!" Mokuba spoke up. "Return us to the Kaiba Estate _now._ Before-" _"_ _Shut up! You'll find out where we're going soon enough."_ Was barked through the speaker, causing my finger to release the button instantly. Uh oh. "Do you have your phone?" I asked the teen quietly. "It's dead." He muttered. "Where's yours?" "You think I had a place for a phone in this dress?" I whispered, digging into my purse. It was gone. It must of fallen out when I tossed the purse under Seto's desk. "Shit." "What are we going to do?" Asked Mokuba. "Haven't you been kidnapped before? You tell me." He gave me an uncertain look. "Just wait..." I grabbed the teens hands and moved in beside him. "I promise I won't let anything happen to you." He didn't reply but his grip tightened in mine, and I knew this was a promise I would _have_ to fill.

When the car finally pulled to a stop, both back doors were thrown open and bags were put over our heads as we were forced away from each other. Blind with my arms held firmly by my sides, I was forced to follow. I was sat down in a chair, and quickly my hands were forced into a pair of handcuffs, then there was the sound of a scuffle, and the door shut. "Milo?" "I'm here." I swallowed, trying to force down the tremble in my voice. "Did they hurt you?" I asked. "I'm okay... What about you?" "I'm okay." I assured, mind already working on a plan to get us free. Years of getting out of cuffs had me trying to work the restraints over my thumb. "Do you know who these guys are?" I asked. "No... but Seto has his fair share of enemies..." I bit my lip in effort as I worked the ring slowly over my hand. The sound of the door would put pause to my motions though. The sound of shoes on a hard floor echoed in the large room. The hood over my head was yanked off and I looked up and squinted at the sudden light. The sound of Mokuba's hood being removed had my heart freezing. "Who the fuck is this?" "What do you mean? You told me, the girl and the kid." "It's the wrong kid you dumbass!" My eyes focused and hate poured from my very soul as I saw who stood before me. The bald man from the press conference, who now with a much closer look and the sound of his voice I recognized instantly, but it was the other. A tall, broad man with thick brown hair and sharp jade eyes. "Dad?!"

"What the _Fuck_?!" I snarled, pulling avidly at the cuffs, moving to stand from the chair. The bald man came forward and shoved me back down. "Always so elegant." Grunted my father before looking to his companion. "You were supposed to grab my son so I could take him back with me." "Well who's this kid?" "You tell me!" Snapped my father. "Idiot!" Approaching the boy, my father bent and stared at him. "Who are you." "Don't say anything." I growled. "I'll get to you." Snapped my sire, before looking back to the angry teen strapped to the chair. "Mokuba Kaiba. And when my brother finds out you have us, you'll be sorry!" My father's lips curled in a smirk and I shoved at the hand the bald man had on my shoulder. "So it's _his_ brother you caught. I can make something with that." "Let him go Richard." I growled. That caught my father's attention. "Why? This is in my favor. I swap _his_ brother for yours, and trade _you_ for ransom. Not the original plan, but it'll work." "You're wasting your time. Seto will fight tooth and nail to get his brother back, and the only thing you'll get in return is screwed." I shoved off the bald man's hand once more. " _Get_ your _slimy_ hands off me you piece of _shit_." I snapped, giving a glare icy enough to cause him to take a step back. "Such a mouth. I wish I was surprised." Richard approached and looked at me with a disappointed stare. "You always were your mother's daughter." "But prettier. And without the meth mouth." I smirked. "You and I both know this isn't about me anyway. All about that money." My father snorted and turned away, looking to go towards the door. "Mom told me _you're_ the reason she started selling!" That put a pause in his footsteps. "All those drugs, not _one_ dime from it. All those men she slept with." I looked to the bald man. "You included. What was your name? Phil? Didn't she give you the clap? You ever get that treated?" A sharp snap filled the room as a hard burn plastered my cheek. I tasted blood as my lip split open. I just snorted. "Miles and miles of coke, that money was going right into _your_ pocket. Wasn't it _Dick_?" "You don't know anything Milo." "I know your muscle _still_ doesn't hit as hard as she did." I looked up and gave another smirk to the bald man. "Is that why you left? Did she hit you too hard?" I mocked, giving my tone one of a whimpering child. "You talk too much." Growled the bald man, wrapping his meaty hand around my neck. "I've heard that." I felt him squeeze and I felt myself start to choke. "No! Let her go! Don't hurt her!" Said Mokuba, tears growing in his upset stare. Looking to my father, he begged him. "Please make him stop!" I felt the blood starting to pool in my head, and started getting dizzy. A hard burning started in my stomach, unsure if it was rage or lack of air, I tugged on my cuffs, a surge coming through me as I felt the one I'd been working on come free. Hands free, I knew _right_ where to go. Grabbing the man's crotch in an iron grip, I gasped for air as he finally released me. Giving him a hard punch in the nose, I stumbled as my vision dotted in black and I lost my balance in the pointed heels. Coughing and gasping, I desperately tried to regain the air I'd lost. A sharp kick to my hip had me on my side, looking up at my father's image. "Why do you _always_ have to be a bother?" I choked out a laugh. "I guess you could say it's in my nature... Look at my parents." I grunted as a hard kick to my face caused a crunch in my nose. "Stop! Stop it! Please!" The sound of the teen's sobs filled the room. "Please! She's pregnant. Please." That had my father still. "Oh really." A dark chuckle left my sire's lips as he crouched. "Little slut's pregnant... isn't that interesting." "Wanna know what's _really_ interesting?" I asked, blood running down my chin. "What's that?" "That you went to church every Sunday." I gave a sluggish laugh as he curled his lip and shoved me back down, my head hitting the floor with a deep thud. Darkness rimmed the edge of my vision, my body limp. "Get her back in the chair." Snapped my father to his still whimpering associate as he left the room.

I woke slowly, with the taste of blood in my mouth and my head pounding. A voice echoed in the throbbing. 'Tell me where you are...' 'Focus' 'Tell me where you are...' I opened my eyes, the room was empty, save the the puddle of blood on the floor and the near panicked teen beside me. "Milo? Milo are you alright?" I nodded, my motions slow as I regained consciousness. "I'll be okay." I could tell instantly that my nose was broken. "They didn't hurt you did they?" I asked. "No..." "Good." I coughed up a bit of blood that was draining down my throat and spit it to the floor. Checking my hands I found them once more restrained, this time with thick rope. Fuck. Kicking out of the annoying heels, I brought my legs up into the chair with me. Forcing my hurt body to stand, I lifted away from the chair, jumping to the floor once I was clear. Sitting on the floor, I worked my trapped hands under my backside and squirmed my legs through, ending with my hands in my lap. Bringing the rope up to my mouth, I pulled on it with my teeth. "So... what's going to happen to us?" Asked the boy softly. "Hopefully we get out of here, so nothing." I replied, spitting fibers from the rope to the floor before pausing. "Mokuba how did you know I was pregnant." He looked away and I continued to look at him until he answered. "Damian told me..." "Did you say anything to Seto?" He shook his head. "Probably a good idea, given the circumstances." I ripped another layer from the rope and spit it to the floor. "What does that mean?" "It doesn't matter now... what matters is getting out of here." I heard another stirring in my mind. 'Tell me where you _are_!' I gasped as a hard burning came from within, it felt as if I was on fire. A deep scream erupted from my throat, a scream of deep pain, of agony. Tears poured from my eyes as I trembled, such heat. "Milo! Milo what is it? What's wrong?" I couldn't answer. The door slammed open and immediately the bald man was on me, giving my form a hard shake. Almost instantly the heat stopped. "What on _earth_ is the wrong with her?" Snapped my father, stepping inside and shutting the door. I coughed and shoved the bald man back. "Get off." "Look boss." My wrists were grabbed and I yanked them away, pulling myself to a sluggish stand. "Aren't you the Houdini." "Years of police rides." I said with a grin, my nose once more trickling blood. "I don't doubt it." Richard looked to the bald man. "Are you just going to stand there or are you going actually catch her?" Lunging at me, I sidestepped the behemoth and sent a sharp kick to the back of his knee and forcing it to buckle. Toppling to the floor, I jumped on the man's back, foot pressed hard on the back of his neck. Looking to my father, I spit on the man below. "You really think few blows to the head are gonna cut it? You'll have to step it up _daddy_. This little harebrained scheme isn't going to work... you get through yet?" I smirked a bit. "Bet you haven't even made it to his secretary. When you do, don't be surprised if she hangs up, she's kind of a bitch." "Get off!" Snapped the man below, causing me to grind my heel into the nape of his neck. "I'd call him for you, but I think I left my phone in his office, it's the oddest thing." The man below flailed himself, grabbing my leg and slamming me off his back to the floor below. Winded, I coughed as the bulky man slammed an elbow into my chest. "Stay _down_." Snarled the bald man as he got to his feet, dragging me by my still bound hands back to the chair. Instead of answering me, my father approached the teen. "You don't strike me as foolish...not like some." He looked my way before returning his stare to the boy. "I'll bet a smart boy like you knows how to get a hold of your brother." "Mokuba don't." Another stinging smack came to my cheek from the muscle. "Don't you want to go _home_?" Asked my father. "What about Milo?" "Her too..." "He's going to take Damian." I shot a dirty look at the bald man as I was tied _to_ the chair this time. "My cell is in my pocket...it's dead but..." My father gave him a smile. "That's a good boy." I spit once more on the bald man, but this time instead of a slap I received a hard blow to my temple, and just like that I was out.

"Which way thief? I grow tired of wandering." Spoke a familiar voice. "It's not a science! It could be any one of these rooms." Snapped a new voice, it's tone holding a slight accent. "Just let _me_ have the rod... I'll find it." Said another odd voice, this one deep and crackly. "That's enough... we need to find the source of that power and we _don't_ have time for your bickering." Was that Yami? Using everything I had, I lifted my head. "Is that who I think it is?" I whispered. "I really hope so." Said Mokuba. There was a scraping sound by the door before it swung open, a small group in it's opening. "What's going on in here? Are we late to a party?" Spoke the accented tone. "Yami!" Cried Mokuba. "Mokuba?" "Out of the way Pharaoh." I watched a blurry form approach and sighed as I recognized it as Seth. "Get a load of her, would you?" Asked a white haired man as he approached, his form identical to Ryou, but this wasn't him, not even close. "Quiet tomb raider. My gods above who did this to you?" He asked, concern etched over his features. "Get Mokuba and go... they're trying to get money from Seto..." I murmured, unsure if my words were as fully formed as I thought they were. "We will not leave you here." "If you don't they'll just try again." "We should stop them." Said Yami. "You _think_ Pharaoh?" Grunted the deep voice, drawing my attention to a dark-skinned man that looked similar to Malik, but there was a raw danger that hovered around him, almost like an aura, not to mention his hair looked as though he'd stuck a fork in a light socket. "Just go, I'll deal with this..." "Absolutely not... Get them free." Said the Priest, drawing the others into action. "Gods above look at this!" Cackled the white haired one, getting a look at my bindings. Ropes were laced around my wrists with zip ties and duct tape to keep them securely to the chair. "I _might_ have got loose." I muttered, looking back with a small smirk. "A few times." "I _like_ her." Said the white haired man, tearing through the restraints with a blade pulled from his shoe. As I rubbed my wrists, the priest rubbed away a bit of the blood on my face. "I'm okay... just some bruises..." "What _are_ these shackles?" Grumbled the white haired man, struggling with Mokuba's binds. "I'll get them, just keep an eye out." I said, getting to my feet and shakily making my way to where the boy was. Pulling a pin from my hair I bit the rubber off the end and bent it in. "She's better at that then you are Bakura." Spoke the deep voiced man. "I was never good at shackles." I popped the lock and the instant the boy was free his arms were wrapped around me. "You had me so scared..." "I'm so sorry Mokuba..." "Isn't this touching?" I squeezed the boy tighter at the sound of my father's voice. "Look at this... Just the man I wanted to see. Do you have the money?" Asked Richard as Seth stood, giving a clear look indicating he knew nothing about what the man spoke of. "Just hand over the cash and the boy and we're even." "What is this? Do you owe this man priest?" Asked the spiky haired man. "We have never met... but if you are the one who has hurt this woman we will be soon acquainted." I watched the dark-skinned doppelganger pull the millennium rod from his belt loop and point it at my father. No sooner did the end begin to glow did the burning sensation grow in my stomach. Pain locked my body, a sharp cry leaving my lips. "Wait!" Said Yami, drawing the brunet's attention to me. That calculating stare that he shared with his modern counterpart came over his face. "Are you with child?" He turned and knelt before me. "Tell me! Are you with child?" I gave a hesitant nod and rough hands cupped my face, a smile slowly growing. "This is wonderful news." Looking to the white haired man he nodded to where my father stood. "Send this fool to the shadows." "With pleasure." The cackling from him and the spiky haired man sent chills down my spine, the screams of my father only dieing as his body went limp. "There's another one around here somewhere." Said Mokuba to the pair before looking up from our embrace. "Let's go." I nodded and accepted the help from the priest as I got to my feet.


	40. Chapter 40

**I have to say I'm very happy about this story, it's been so fun writing it. Don't forget to follow and favorite so you can see how it ends :)**

 **I don't own Yugioh**

Seto would arrive not long after I was admitted into the hospital. To my understanding he had received the ransom and had gathered the money, waiting for the call to give him the drop spot when Mokuba called him from the hospital. The boy had been looked over, but had been cleared with nothing but nicks and cuts. I, on the other hand, was a mess. Broken nose, a concussion, along with several bruises, including a rather large one around my neck. My room was fairly full, the spirits who saved me had called their lights, whose worry gave them a reason to join me. Throw in Seth and Mokuba who had been glued to my side since we'd arrived, my room was packed. Honestly I really didn't care for all the company, but I didn't have the strength to tell them to go. "Move." Snapped the blue eyed man as he shoved his way in. "Seto!" Mokuba received a warm hug from his sibling, before he was released to allow the CEO to my bedside. "Move, freak." Seth didn't say anything, but moved from his spot on the side of my bed. "Good god, just look at you..." He murmured. "I'm okay... They set my nose, nothing's broken...I'll heal." I assured, taking his hand and placing it mine, careful of the IV. "Did they catch who did this?" " _They_ did." I said, giving a look to where the two mischievous spirits were drawing on the whiteboard in my room, leaving phallic looking symbols behind. "They saved me Seto... If Seth and the others hadn't shown up when they did... We owe them a great deal..." I could tell that didn't sit well with my lover. "We take cash..." Said Bakura, drawing Seto's attention. "If it gets you out of here, I'll gladly give it to you." "Fine. ¥300,000. 100,000 a head. One for her, one for the kid, and one for that bun you left in her oven." There was a commotion, Seth was pinning the white haired spirit against the wall, neck flush with the millennium rod while his light scolded him for his careless words. "The cat's out of the bag now!" Said Marik, his broad grin showing just how much he enjoyed the discomfort of others. Seto's eyes were a turmoil, and I looked to the one person who could take enough control of the situation to get everyone out. "Yami... make them go..." A sharp flash escaped the puzzle around the neck of the Pharaoh, and almost instantly, all was still. "I think we have more then taken up our stay. Time to go." Said the spirit firmly. Without a single fight, everyone streamed out, leaving only Seto, Seth, and Mokuba. "Seto..." I reached up to touch him, but he caught my hands, putting them back down to the bed. "This isn't how I wanted to tell you-" "I need to go..." He started to rise and I felt hurt build in my chest. "Seto wait..." Said Mokuba, unsure of what to do. "Let's go Mokuba." "Don't leave..." I whimpered, my heart breaking as I watched him go. As Seth ran to follow his light, I felt Mokuba's hand squeeze mine. "I'll talk to him... it'll be okay Milo." I tried for a smile, but as the brother left, I looked around at my empty room and felt the tears fall, alone again.

"What are you _doing_." Hissed the dark-skinned doppelganger as he slammed his copy into the brick siding of the hospital. "If you leave her now, she will break. She _needs_ you." "Get off me." Snapped Seto, giving the Egyptian a hard shove. "You _will_ listen." The dark tone had Seto still as Seth pinned him once more. "If you leave her, _I_ will take her, do you understand? I will dry her tears and _I_ will protect her and the unborn." "Fine. Take her. At least you won't have to worry about knocking her up." The CEO moved to get out from the hold the spirit had on him and headed for the waiting car.

I woke to Seth in one chair, and my brother in the other. "Hey D..." I gave a broken smile, hand reaching out for his. "Hey..." He gave me a once over, and I gave a tired shrug. "I'll be okay..." "They said it was dad..." I nodded. "Dad wanted you, and wanted money for me..." Disgust curled his lip before it turned apologetic. "How's the baby?" "The unborn is fine. The medic is very optimistic." Said Seth, turning his gaze away from the TV in the corner. "Mokuba told me what happened." His hand squeezed mine. "I hate him." "Wait a minute D... that's not fair." I squeezed back. "Seto has done a great deal for us, you can't just-" "He left you. Here. Now. In the hospital, pregnant with his child-" "Stop." I looked to the boy and I could tell he was already regretting his words. "You think I don't know that? Do you know how bad it hurt?" The teen looked away and I laid flat on the mattress below. "Fact is deep down, Seto _is_ a good guy..." "He's scared... it doesn't take a link to see that." Said Seth. "I figured he would be..." I replied. "He shouldn't have left though, I mean look at you." Said Damian. "Fear makes us do things we may not do other wise." Said Seth to the boy before looking to me. "I will try to talk sense to my hikari. Until then, I will protect you."

I would heal, and within a few weeks I was back to work. Seth seemed insistent at being by my side for at least a good portion of the day, although I did have to explain that the little dress on the figure on women's bathroom indicated that it was for _women_. "You know, I would have no problems letting you stay home. You don't need anyone to watch you any more." I said as I sorted through some files that had been lost a while. "I need to protect you and the unborn." "From what?" I gave a snort as I looked over. "I'm fine." "The child's link to my millennium item worries me." Said the Priest, pulling the rod from his belt. "How did you find that anyway? I hid it." "It called to me. I found it under the water dispensary unit." "Sink. It's called a sink." I said, looking back to my sheets. "I wonder if it was the _child_ that called for it..." Muttered the dark-skinned man, mind roving in thought. "The _child_ is a bean. It doesn't even have a mouth yet." "Yes, but it has happened once before." "Oh yea? When is that?" "With _my_ child." He tapped the end of the rod to his chin in thought. "I don't recall if the Pharaoh had any children... I should ask." "Let me know..." I muttered, only half listening at this point. "Hey boss lady." I looked over to see Joey coming in, a fresh stack of folders for me. "Not more of this crap." I groaned, leaning back in my chair. "'Fraid so. From Kiko herself." "Gross." He flopped them down and I looked over to my still empty office. "Suppose now that the game is over I should use that for what it's for." "Eh. Might be worth a shot... Out here you got all sorts of room." He said, giving a smile to me. Joey had been nothing but kind and optimistic to me. He didn't bring up the fading bruises, and if he knew about the pregnancy he didn't bring that up either. "You want me to go down to storage and see about getting you a desk and stuff?" He asked, putting his hands in his pockets. "If you're doing something, don't worry about it." I dismissed. "Just about to go to lunch." "Go ahead and get something to eat." "You want anything?" I shrugged and felt a poke from the Millennium rod on my chair. "You have not eaten." "Neither have you." "I do not require as much sustenance." I rolled my eyes and reached for my purse. "Here... pick us _all_ up something. The weirdo likes salad." I said, offering my card to the assistant, who grinned. "Anything you want?" "I'm not picky, dealer's choice." "You got it. Be back before you know it."

A soft knock would have me looking up and smiling as I saw the younger brother. "Mokuba... Hey. You hungry? Joey just brought us lunch." I said, trying to ignore the twinge of hurt in my stomach. "Hey Milo... no, I'm not hungry..." My brow lifted. "So what's up?" "I um... Seto wanted me to tell you that Seth... isn't welcome in the building." That had a frown on my lips. "Why?" "He said something about employees getting confused... but to be honest I didn't even know he was here." He mumbled. "No." That had his head up. "You tell Seto if he has a problem to come talk to me _himself._ This is ridiculous." "He said you might say that..." I quickly recognized the head of security hovering behind him and frowned. "That's not necessary." I said firmly, throwing my napkin down over my plate in disgust. "Joey... would you drive Seth home?" "I am _not_ leaving." Growled the spirit. "Go home Seth. I'll be fine here. It's not worth the trouble." I handed my keys to my assistant, who gave a disapproving frown as he passed the younger brother for the elevator. "You can go." I said the guard, who nodded and stepped away. "Milo I'm sorry." "Not as much as I am... If I knew he would act so bad about it... maybe I'll just get rid of it." "Milo no!" The teen wrapped me in a sound hug and I sighed, still hurt, still angry, but unwilling to spread that grief to the boy. "He'll come around, you just have to be patient..." "It's been almost a month and he hasn't spoken to me..." "I know." "Then he pulls this bullsh- crap, bull crap." The teen giggled a bit and pulled back. "Just... don't lose faith. Look if there's one thing I've learned from being kidnapped... you can't lose faith in Seto. He _is_ trying. Even if it doesn't feel like it." "Mokuba... I... this whole experience has been painful. Your brother left me." "I know..." He hung his head and I sighed. "You know you're welcome at my house any time..." He sniffed a bit and I lifted his chin to see a few tears gathered. "Any time. Friday's included." He gave a shaky nod and I tried to smile for him. "Now you'd best be going." "Okay..." He gave me one more hug. "Love you..." He muttered into my shirt. "I love you too." I whispered back.


	41. Chapter 41

**Things are getting intense! I hope you guys enjoy. BB**

 **I don't own yugioh**

Seth, with nothing to do during the day, started working for Yugi's grandfather at the gameshop. It had started out as simple cleaning, chores, repairs, but with Yami's help he was able to slowly start learning currency. As a result, he would often stay until close, before coming home to have dinner with Damian and I. One night, upon his return, the apartment was dark. The only light coming from the TV. I looked over from where I was curled up, ice cream carton in my lap. Tears leaking down my cheeks, I took slow bites as I watched the show flashing across the screen. "What's wrong?" He asked, kicking off his shoes and coming to sit beside me. "What draws your tears mwt?" He called me that sometimes. It almost sounded like 'moot'. To my understanding it was the word for mother. "That pony got separated from his boy... it's really sad." I mumbled. "That is unfortunate... however I have a feeling your feelings might be a bit misplaced." "They are not, look, he's crying..." I whimpered, watching the horse cry at the edge of his paddock. "As are you... is a horse really what brings your tears?" I sniffed and wiped my nose on the blanket I was cuddled up in. "No... it's these stupid hormones." "Milo..." He didn't use my name often, but when he did it almost made me feel guilty. Shoving the carton on my coffee table, I fiddled with the fringe on my blanket. "I... I really miss him Seth..." Another wave of sadness came through me and I felt an ugly cry coming. These had been frequent over the past few months. Waves of highs and lows I hadn't felt since my drug days. "I'm so scared, and I just- I mean I wish I could take it all back." I squeezed my stomach bitterly. "Mwt no... don't feel like that..." He scooted closer and pressed his hand under mine, giving a soothing rub over the small bump under my nightshirt. "You have a life growing within you. Something truly beautiful. It should never be wished away." "He hates me..." "He doesn't... he still dreams of you every night." I sniffed. "He does?" He gave a nod and pulled my form into his, and I found my pain easing. A soft warmth came from my stomach, and I felt him squeeze me tighter. As my breathing evened out, I spoke. "You never told me... How I reminded you of the tomb painter." He hummed, resting his head on mine. "A story for another time. For now, I think you need some rest."

Before Joey started getting me furniture for my office, I decided on one last painting. On the wall of my office, I started to cope. Deep, rich, thick colors started out as lines before slowly transforming. It was my Palistine in all her glory. Her hair was down, swirling in the wind as she charged on horseback, her shield held tight and her sword at the ready. Instead of some gruesome creature, before her she faced a familiar beast, with white scales and blue eyes. I would face this dragon, and I would do it with the courage I knew I held. Fear would _not_ be an excuse.

"Alright! 20 weeks, out of the first trimester! Are you excited?" Asked the nurse, a wide smile on her face. "I guess?" I looked at the very apparent bump. "How about you dad, are _you_ excited?" Seth gave a clear look of indignation, but I just grabbed his hand and forced a smile. "Super excited." "Great!" Chirped the woman, turning to gather a few things. "Just go with it." I whispered. When I explained where I was going, he'd been very insistent on coming with me to find out the gender. "Alright, just go ahead and lay back for me. Look out, it's going to be a bit cold." I winced at the gel she placed over my stomach, only to receive a soft squeeze in return on the hand still held by the Egyptian. A curious stare came over his face as he watched the technician rub the wand over my hump. "How are we feeling? Okay otherwise?" "Fine." "No headaches? Light sensitivity? Weight gain?" "Um... pregnant." She gave a dry chuckle at my comment. "Just want to be on the look out. There we are!" She turned the screen and a look of wonder came over Seth's face. "Pretty cool huh? Everything looks good. Strong heartbeat." "That is the unborn Mwt. Look at it." Said Seth, his hand wrapped tight around mine. "I see it." I replied, giving my first genuine smile since we'd arrived. "Are you wanting to know the gender?" I nodded and she shifted around. "Come on now... there it is! You ready?" She tilted the wand and pressed it in. "Looks like a baby girl!" "Truly wondrous this machine... a girl." She pulled the wand away and pressed a few buttons. "We'll get those printed for you. Here's a few towels to get that goo off." She passed over a few paper towels and I took them, trying to sit up a bit to get the gel off. A tanned hand took them and I watched as a tenderness I hadn't seen from the spirit come forward. He swiped my stomach with soft, gentle strokes. When I was clean, the palm ran over the hump and I felt a hard jolt, almost like a spark. Judging by the surprise on his face, he felt it too. "Now if I could just get a urine sample from you before you go, and we'll be..." The woman trailed off as she turned back around, a sweet smile slowly growing on her lips. Giving a bit of a blush, I tried to sit up. "I got plenty for you to sample honey, just point me in the right direction."

The knock on my door one Friday had my hopes up for just the slightest moment. When I answered the door, and saw only the younger brother, as happy as I was to see him, I had to admit I was a bit disappointed. "Hey Milo..." He almost seemed unsure of himself. "Hey..." I stepped aside and he came inside. He was silent a long minute before I wrapped an arm around his shoulder and squeezed. "Where's your jacket? It's still chilly out there. Let's get you some tea. That'll warm you up in no time." I led him towards the kitchen. "Hope you're hungry, I made stew." I said as I set him down and got a mug for him. As I placed the cup down before him, I saw relief. "What's wrong? Are you okay?" He shook his head. "I miss you." "I miss you too hun." "No, Milo I _miss_ you..." He looked to his mug. "The house doesn't feel right anymore with just me... I never see Seto anymore." A frown came over my lips. "He just stays at the office all the time... always working. I miss dinner. With you. With Damian. I miss Deezer and..." A sniff cut him off and I sat down in the chair beside him. "Seto was _happy_ I just don't understand..." I ran a comforting hand down his back. "None of us really do... but you know him. Once he's made his mind up about something, it's set." "But that's not fair." "It's not about fair... the only thing I can hope is that he'll come around on his own." I looked up at the sound of the door opening. "I'm just sayin' you can't just threaten to send people to the shadow realm." "They deserved it." "I'm not sayin' they didn't, just a thought though." Joey gave a wide grin as he stepped through the threshold with Seth right behind. Joey had been a recent addition to an old tradition. It started out as the blond stopping in at the game shop to help out Mr. Moto with a few chores, but with Seth working, it was quickly established he was no longer needed. An offer to walk the spirit back to my apartment had turned into a dinner invitation, so often on Friday nights the blond was right at home around my table. "Hey fellas." I said, pressing a hand to my growing stomach as I stood to greet them. "We have another joining us for dinner." "I see that! Hey Mokaba, how you been?" Asked Joey, coming around to ruffle the boy's hair, drawing a reluctant grin from the melancholy teen. "How are you feeling?" Asked Seth, pressing a kiss to my hair as he rubbed my stomach. "Fat and unhappy. So normal." He snorted and gave it a rub, drawing a distinct tap in response. "Quit, you know it feels weird when she does that..." I grumbled, following him into the kitchen as I made a face at my tummy, trying to get her calm once more. "She kicking yet?" Asked Joey, helping himself to one of Damian's soda's. "Only with him. Damian tried and tried to get her to do it the other day." I said with a chuckle. "Where is D?" Asked the blond. "Out walking Deezer. He'll be back in a bit." I flopped into one of the chairs. "So... it's a girl?" Asked Mokuba quietly, drawing my smile. "Yup. God I'm gonna be in so much trouble, can you imagine? Smart as Seto, with my social skills and personality. Good lord, I'm so screwed." Laughter littered around the table, and I found I quite liked the sight of so many happy.


	42. Chapter 42

**Thank you everyone who's been reading, it's been amazing to watch the visitors and views go up, and I want to thank everyone who has favorited, it makes me so happy :) BB**

"Now you're just doing it to mess with me. Quit." I whined as the Egyptian drew another kick from my stomach. "This amuses me greatly." Replied the spirit, a grin on his face. "Me or the kid?" "Both." "You're going to lose your belly privileges." "There is no thing. Tell her unborn. Tell her you would not like it." Long fingers poked around the large hump, drawing my laughter. "No, no, no, quit." I grabbed his hands and made an attempt for an escape. "Come on, I can't escape. D! I need you!" Damian grinned and looked over from where Mokuba and he were dueling on the kitchen table. "You look like a turtle." A shriek of laughter left as I felt another poke at my ribs. "No! Now you really need to help me up, I have to pee." I giggled, taking an extra push off the couch from the dark-skinned man. As I made my way around the couch and toward the hall, a knock came from the door. "And someone answer the door, half you live here anyway..." I trailed off as I found my destination. When I'd come out though, the atmosphere in the room had dropped considerably. "I swear to god this kid just likes jumping on my bladder..." I looked up and instantly saw what had caused the sudden quiet. Seto stood in the hall, Joey standing just into the dining room, pointedly silent. "What brings you by?" I asked quietly, heart racing as that familiar gaze fell on me, and on my growing stomach. "I was looking for Mokuba." "He's fine... he came over for dinner." "He didn't mention it." I looked at the dark haired teen, who was firmly staring at my kitchen table. "Mokuba, you didn't tell Seto where you were going?" "I was worried he say no..." I sighed and looked at the pair. "Pack it up fellas." The teens went about cleaning up their mess as I came to replace Joey's position. "Why don't you go grab those files for next week." Giving a stiff nod at the dismissal, the blond walked into the living room to collect papers sitting on the coffee table. "I'm sorry, I figured he would have told you..." "I wasn't aware, no... It didn't take me long to figure out where he might have gone." "I told him he was always welcome here... just like you..." Those sharp eyes caught mine and I felt another wave of sadness. I missed those eyes. "As long as we're family..." He looked away, instead taking focus on the spirit on my couch, who was just as focused on him. "G'bye Milo." Murmured the teen. "Bye Mokuba." I offered a hug and smiled into his hair. "You know where I am." I felt him nod and gave a squeeze before allowing him to get his shoes. "I would like to talk with you... if you have time..." I asked the CEO, who only looked more irritated then before, his gaze still locked with the priest. "Seto?" He jumped as the link was broken, a frown on his face as he looked back to me. "Did you hear me?" "Whatever. Make an appointment..." He gave me one more long look before his stare came to rest on my belly. I saw fear, and uncertainty, and reluctance. For once those eyes weren't iced up. "It's a girl..." I murmured, stepping closer, stomach out in offering. "A girl..." He didn't seem sure, but his large hand came and hovered just over it. "It's okay..." I gave a smile as I pressed it flush. A deep warmth would spread from my abdomen, and a sharp kick would follow, taking my breath away. As I looked to see if he felt it too, he slowly pulled his palm away. "Make sure I receive any invoices for your care." Gone where the toiling emotions, and in its place was... nothing. "Let's go Mokuba." As they left, my sorrow had returned, worse then before. "I think... I'm just going to lay down..."

Why did it hurt so _much_? Days were easier, but the nights spent alone in my bed instead of by his side were almost painful. Seth slept on the bedroll beside my bed, but would sometimes share the mattress with me, should the longing be too much. "Hush mwt... I know it is painful. But he _is_ weakening." Murmured the spirit as he crawled in, wrapping thick arms around my waist to stroke the prominent stomach. The child within my body had an affinity for Seth's touch. I suspected it was his connection to her father, but with no real interaction with Seto to compare it with, it was only my assumption. "He seemed just as upset as he was when I told him..." I mumbled into my pillow. "But you're wrong..." I moved to lay on my back. "Why do you say that." He pulled the Millennium Rod from his belt. "Careful with that thing..." I grunted, feeling the baby twist. "It is only when I draw upon the darkness... Here." He grabbed my hand and together we wrapped a palm around the scepter.

 _"_ _We miss you Hikari."_ It was the scene from before, when Seto and Seth were locked on one another, only this time it was Seth's perspective. _"_ _Right."_ Replied Seto, bright eyes narrowing. _"_ _You all seem just fine here without me." "Your brother was lonely, and concerned about your welfare." "And he came here." "Where else would he go?"_ Seto didn't immediately answer. _"_ _We miss you... her above us all. She holds your child so dear..."_ Their eyes broke as the light looked to my stomach. "It's a girl..." "A girl..." The moment Seto's hand laid on my stomach, I felt Seto's link with Seth flair. _"_ _You see? The unborn needs you..._ _She_ _needs you."_ This time Seto did respond. _"_ _Why does she need me when she has_ _you_ _?"_

As I pulled away from the vision, I felt Seth's large hands brushing tears away. "You _don't_ need him Mwt..." I sniffed and looked into those dark eyes. "But the baby..." "Is just as much _you_ as it is him... please don't cry any more..." He scoot up the bed and pulled me to his chest. "My hikari will come around, but I cannot watch you hurt any longer. You need to heal... focus on the unborn. I worry what the ramifications of such sorrow has." He rubbed my stomach and I sighed as the child within seemed to settle almost instantly, giving a tiny kick into the man's hand. "Can I miss him?" I whispered. "Every day... but to miss someone, and need them, are two different things... I _know_ you will be okay." He brushed a thick lock back and I took a deep breath, looking up to that familiar face. It was so strange to feel both good and bad about the same face. Seth had been a mercy, a boat to my weary stranded traveler, water to one trapped in a desert. The love I felt for Seto was starting to morph, and change into a love for _both_. As much as the thought pained me, I didn't want to have to choose. "Did I ever tell you of Olmi? The tomb painter?" Murmured Seth, drawing a shake in my head. "Such beauty... Here...once more." He offered the Millennium Rod to me and wrapped my hand around it's staff.


	43. Chapter 43

**Sorry the last chapter was so short, but I didn't want super long chapters (With the exception of major plot events) personally I find them hard to read. If you like the story please review and let me know! :)**

 **I don't own yugioh**

 **PS- little hint of lime at the end of the chapter, but it's nothing crazy**

A flash of lights and I stood before a wide temple, elaborate statues of every God and Goddess known to the people below etched on it's face. I looked beside me and saw Seth, his image ghostly. _"_ _I'll show you. Come."_ I felt his fingers wrap in mine and gently tug me up, our forms weightless as we glided over his ancient homeland. Landing atop a wide balcony of the temple, he led me inside. Endless halls and rooms, glittered in gold and rich primaries, I felt the strong urge to study them. They were truly beautiful compared to the blank carvings left behind in my time. Seth tugged me into what was clearly a throne room with it's golden seat in the center, but it wasn't finished. People were wrapped around the wide columns, using ladders and scaffolding fixed to the stone. I spotted Seth very quickly at the base of one, in the robes he had arrived in, but with a hat showing his position as a High Priest. We quickly moved to where he stood, floating amid the many working. "You there! Have you nothing to do?" I looked up and felt a chill run through as I saw a woman, her long black hair braided down her back, her face and mine identical, but her skin was dark almost matching the men she worked with. "The paint is drying, High Priest. I am waiting to put on another coat." She held up a piece of bread and took a bite. "So I am eating." "Return to your duties." "You first." I had to smirk, looking to the ghostly image beside me. _"_ _Can't imagine how I remind you of her."_ My Seth smirked, while the one who stood before the column didn't seem so amused. "Return to work or you _will_ be punished." "And who will paint the walls for the _magnificent_ Pharaoh?" "We have others. You are _not_ a gift." "I beg to differ." As if on cue, a bowl of paint splattered down the side of the column across the wide room, bringing groans of irritation from all the men working on it. The woman on the scaffolding grinned and rested her chin on her hand. The high priest smirked and I resisted the urge to step back. I knew that look. "Fine... if you _are_ the gift you claim, you should have no trouble finishing _all_ of these by sundown tomorrow." He said, indicating the other half of columns that lay blank. Her face dropped as she sat up. "You cannot do that." "I can... more specifically _you_ can." With a sharp whistle he dismissed the workers below her. "We'll see how you fair." The priest stepped away with a smug smirk, leaving the woman to scramble down the scaffolding.

We would watch her work, from floor to ceiling, like a tape on fast forward. Her work was amazing, down to the finest detail. When it came time though, she would be one column short. Seth stood by the base, that cocky smirk once more on his lips. "Not quite the gift to be expected." "Feel free to do it yourself." She murmured, still working on the one remaining cylinder, even though her time was finished. "That is not my position, it's _yours_. Come to me painter, so that your punishment is enforced." "No. I wish to finish." She replied, now taking her time, her strokes slow and precise. "You will not avoid this. To the floor, servant." Growled Seth, crossing his arms as he looked up at her once more. A mischievous look came over the priest's face, and I looked to the ghost beside me. _"_ _Are you looking up her skirt?" "Maybe."_ "I will take my punishment when I finish, and not a moment before. You want work worthy of a God, I can do that... if you let me finish." She didn't like things half done... that was clear. The work, while rushed, wasn't sloppy. When at last she did finish, she was yanked up by a pair of guards. "Your lack of discipline needs correcting." Said Seth, grabbing her chin as she pulled on the grip of the men holding her. "Your _impatience_ needs correcting." She growled. "Good things are not immediate." "We'll see about that... Take her to my harem, ensure she is bathed and placed in my chambers." "Yes sir." Her curses and screams would echo off the stone walls as she was dragged away. Taking me by the hand, my ghost would lead me through hall after hall, before entering a bedchamber. A lush bed sat framed on the floor, with a large wash basin beside it. A dress dummy stood by a window, with a tall reflective metal sheet on stands beside it that looked almost like a mirror. The doors were thrown open, and the girl was thrown inside before they were shut tight. Her howls of anger had me looking to the ghost at my side. _"_ _What's she saying?" "Something about my mother being akin to a goat."_ Replied Seth, drawing a grin to my lips. She scurried back as the doors came open once more, showing the priest in all his royal glory. "Release me! Punish me and be done!" She said, her confidence lower then it had been in the throne room, but steadfast. "No." He pulled the Millennium rod from his waist and started for her. "Stay back." " _Silence._ " Her lips shut instantly, and a fear started to grow on her face as he approached. "Be still." She quit her nervous shuffling and her back straightened. "Do you _know_ what I can do with this?" He murmured, leaning in close and pressing the head of the scepter under her chin. "What I could make _you_ do with this?" A tremor started in her lip, but she said nothing. "I could make you bend to my will... whatever I wanted." He suddenly leaned back, pulling the rod away from her. "But I won't." You could almost hear the sigh from her. "I won't need too, do you know why?" He circled her form, before coming to stand before her once more. "Because when I am done, you will bend to me _willingly_." Her eyes narrowed in a clear acceptance to his challenge. "A harem of woman and not _one's_ hand have I forced." His large hand squeezed her chin. "You will _not_ be the first." _"_ _Quite sure of yourself, weren't we?"_ I asked as time moved ahead before us. The ghost beside me just smirked. _"_ _She_ _wasn't_ _the first."_

We would watch the months, he would shower the tomb painter with gifts, but still she did not waver, he tormented, and teased her, forcing her to bathe him, to feed him, but when he whenever he would move in for a kiss, she would turn away. I saw it angered him, I saw each rejection build and build until finally, he snapped. The wash basin was shoved off of it's stand to shatter on the hard floors, spilling it's contents all over. "What is it?!" He snarled at her. "What is it you want?!" He loomed over her still form. "You want for nothing! You are fed, clothed, living in the finest treasures life has to offer!" He shouted, nearing her face. "Why do you not lie with me." He growled, tone venomous. "I don't wish too." She replied. "Why?!" He snapped. "Because I don't love you." She moved to turn away and he grabbed her. "I _can_ make you." Her brows lifted, her lips curled on the ends. "Then I would be the first." His anger was gone, and in it's place I saw his pride. "What do you wish? What can I give you." "I don't want your _things_." She looked at herself. "I do not want _gems_ and _fabric_. I want your time." His brows pinned and she sighed. "If you want me, those are my terms." She stepped around him and towards the door. Her words rang in my ears as we moved to the next memory. 'I do not want your _things_. I want your _time._ '

"Tell me what I wish to hear." He murmured to her, their forms covered from the cool desert night with a thick blanket. "I love you..." She whispered, a groan left him as he rolled on top of her, pressing a deep kiss to her lips. As the scene faded I heard his reply. "I love you too." There was no hesitation, or reluctance. He loved her and he told her. The sun shone down a wide dirt path, a woman waddling beside the blue eyed priest. _"_ _There's the resemblance, I get it."_ I said with a grin to my ghost. _"_ _She was a joy while she was with child."_ Said Seth with a smirk. "Don't walk so fast, I'm dying." Whimpered the woman, struggling to keep up with the long strides of the brunet, who was... smiling? "The midwife said you should get more sun. You are growing pale." He paused for her to lean against a portion of wall. "I can _sit_ in the sun." The priest gave another soft smile before it vanished, the reason why slowly spreading across her skirt. "What?" She looked down and a gasp escaped her before her arm wrapped around her stomach and a cry of pain escaped her throat.

I opened my eyes and we were back in my bed, his hands still tight around the Millennium Rod, his eyes pinched shut. "I can't..." He whispered, tone strained. I brought my hands up to wipe away the tears that escaped his lids. "It's okay..." Those deep ocean blue eyes slowly opened and I found myself lost in them. The moment his lips touched mine, something snapped in us both. Be it grief, or hurt, or long built tension, we would lay together that night. His hands would map every inch of skin, before his lips would follow, worshiping my swollen stomach, drawing my release over and over. When at last he did take me, his words were so soft I almost didn't hear them. "Tell me what I wish to hear..." "I...Love you Seth." They rang true in my heart as much as it did in his ears. "I love you Milo..." My heart skipped a beat. Identical words, but said so different.


	44. Chapter 44

**Another chapter for you guys! Hope you enjoy! BB**

 **Also if you see any huge errors or bad formatting let me know, I've been a bit lazy about double checking the uploads.**

 **I don't own yugioh**

A thick file in hand, I took the lift to the top floor, as I'd done countless times before. "I can drop those off for you, Kiko will give them to him..." Said Joey from his spot beside me. "I'm fine, go to lunch." I said, smile on my lips. "Craving anything today?" "Pickles." He flashed a wide grin as the elevator stopped. "30 Minutes, if you're not back by then, I'm comin' in after you." Said the blond with a nod towards the door. "I'll be fine." I dismissed, walking down the raceway. Kiko was avidly typing at her desk, only looking up for half a moment before pausing and doing it once more. "He in a meeting?" I commented, heading for the door. "No but- Wait. You can't go in." "Why's that?" I asked, brows lifted. "Well I heard-" "Oh gossip! I _love_ gossip." I leaned in. "What did you hear? I just _have_ to know." "Well I..." She looked to my stomach and back to my face. "Wanna know what _I_ heard?" She seemed uncertain. "That it's not polite to gossip. Kaiba gave me access to his office as head of the Art Department." "Well yes but-" "Alright." I leaned up and pressed the code into the lock, smirking as it flicked open. The office was quiet, as usual, with the blue eyed man bent over his desk. When he didn't look up, I waited to be greeted, looking around a place almost as familiar as my own home. One thing was new though. On the wall directly across the room from the wide desk was a painting. The one I gave him at Christmas. He still hung it? Surely he would have had it taken down by now. "What do you want?" I didn't hear any ice in his tone, but there wasn't any warmth either. There was nothing. Coming over to sit in the stiff chairs in front of his desk I remembered he told me once he'd purposely gotten the most uncomfortable ones he could find, just to bother people. "I'm filing for my maternity leave early..." I passed over my file. "Since I answer directly to you, I wasn't sure who to go too." "Why do you need to leave now?" He flipped the file open and found several physician's notes. "My doctors have considered me 'High risk' and would like me to stay home for the duration of my pregnancy." 80% attitude, 20% posture. I folded my hands in my lap and sat up straight. "What is 'High risk'." "Preeclampsia... its a condition with the blood vessels that can happen in pregnant women." He scanned the pages, flipping them up. "Maternity leave is 12 weeks." "That's not going to be long enough." "Obviously." I tightened the fist in my lap. He was silent a long moment before he slapped it shut. "Fine. Take all the time you need." I nodded and went to stand. "Don't bother coming back. I'm disbanding the Art Department." It felt like a switch flicked somewhere in my body. "What about my employees." "Your team will be disbanded and placed into different departments depending on the opening. Except Wheeler." I narrowed my gaze. "Why can't Joey stay?" "What am I going to do with a dog? He's useless." "No he's not!" I snapped. "This needs to stop _right now_!" Shock layered those blue eyes for a moment. "I've been patient! I've waited for you to come to a decision. Well I'm done waiting!" I almost felt rabid, I'd never felt this angry. "You left me in that hospital... alone and afraid." He looked away, trying to appear like he wasn't upset with the statement. "Do you understand?! I've been waiting for your answer since day one! You want to know what I've gotten from you? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Be mad, be upset, but _be_ something, because I can't _fix_ nothing." The room almost rang in the quiet. "I don't know what you want Milo..." "I want you to tell me... do you want to be with me?" "Yes." I was breathless for a second. "I miss you." I swallowed as I tried to slow my racing heart. "I want you to come home, be with me..." He stood from the desk and I was almost reluctant as he approached. "But this..." His hand hovered over my stomach, unsure to even touch it. "I don't know anything about kids Milo..." "I'm scared too..." I whispered, bringing the hand flush, my eyes falling shut at the warmth the child within me reacted to her father's touch. "I just wasn't... I wasn't out for this. I just wanted-" "It doesn't matter what you wanted... or what your plans were." I slowly lifted my lids and looked his way. "This is happening. You can choose to be a part of it, or not. But don't bring innocent people into it." I had his hand in mine, and I felt that warmth spread to him before feeling it grow hotter. "Fire me if you must, but this is between _us._ " A sharp hiss from him would snap me from my angry boil. His hand was a splotchy red. "I'm sorry..." I murmured, concern taking forefront in my mind. "It's fine." "No wait... let me have it..." He frowned as I took his hand back, pressing it flat to my stomach and putting my own over it. "I've done this to Seth too... We think it has something to do with the Millennium Rod. The bigger I get the stronger it gets." A soothing coolness left my fingers to his hand. "Why would that matter?" I shook my head, showing I didn't know. "It's a good guess at this point." We were silent for a long minute before he spoke once more. "Have you slept with him." "Yes." I held his hand firmly to keep him still, but I saw the anger there. "Seto you don't need to be angry with him." "Why?" "Because you two are two halves of the same soul." A scowl came over his face. "I'm serious... Every thing I see in you, I see in him and the same is reversed. He's _you_ and you love you. Seto listen." He looked up to me once more. "He has taken care of me, he's helped me through this time, and there's something to be said about that. Because you didn't..." A slow understanding came over his features. "You love him." "Just like I love you..." "Then _be_ with me." He growled. "It's not that easy, and you know it." The glowing stopped and I released his hand, now back to normal. "If you want me, I come attached. And we need to be a priority. Those are my terms, if you want to be together, you have to accept them." I saw his turmoil turning. "Seto..." Those bright eyes caught mine. "You don't have to answer now... you'll always be welcome in my home, in my life, and in hers, whatever you decide."

The black haired teen sighed as he slouched on the couch, checking his watch. "Where are you in such a rush to get too?" Asked Seto, moving a stack aside and moving on to another. "Nowhere." "Right." Mokuba looked over and narrowed his stare. "I want to go to Milo's." "No." "Why. She said she was making-" "I don't care." "I do." The obvious defiance had Seto turning his gaze to his little brother. "I'm sick of this Seto. We were happy. _You_ were happy." The CEO opened his mouth to respond, but Mokuba wasn't finished. "Our whole life the only thing we ever wanted was a family! You had a chance, a _real_ chance at one, and you screwed it up." Snapped the teen. "Mokuba..." The elder Kaiba was uncertain, it wasn't like the laid back teen to have an outburst. As the silence stretched, the younger brother slouched and looked away. "The fact is... She's family now. She's not going anywhere. I don't care what's going on with you, but you need to figure it out." The boy stood and headed for the elevator. "I'm going over for dinner. You can join us if you're not too busy."

"Look out, wide load." I commented as I set down a familiar oblong pan, a rolling smell coming from it's center. "Awh, yea! Roast! Just like Mom used to make." Whimpered Joey, wrapping his arms around my middle and squeezing. "Thank you." I laughed as I pulled the lid off. "It's D's favorite too." "That's what's up." The blond and my brother pressed fists together before flashing grins. "Mokuba, did you want tea or something else?" "Tea is great." Said the boy with a kind smile. "Alright..." I wobbled around one of the chairs, squeezing back into the kitchen. "Think it might be time to update my table. I'm running out of spots." I said with a snort. To accommodate the newcomers, I'd pulled the table apart and put a leaf in, finding spare chairs stashed around the apartment. "Think it might be time to find a new place, it's gonna be crowded in here with the baby." Said Joey, looking to reach a hand for a ladle, but getting his hand popped as I returned with the black haired boy's tea. "I'm working on it. I've been stashing Seth's money for him, I was going to ask to use it as a down payment." I looked up as the front door opened, the sound of Deezer's paws skittering on the tile. "Away creature." Grunted Seth as he unclipped the leash and allowed the puppy to run in. "Hey honey." I cooed to the dog, getting his dinner into his bowl as the loaf bounced through the many legs to greet me. "He enjoys staring at me while he defecates..." Grumbled Seth as he toed off his shoes. "Was you staring at him while you poop? Bet you watched him pick it up too." I grinned as the Egyptian started for the table, only to be interrupted by a knock at the door. "Who could that be?" I muttered, scooting around a chair to answer. "Be still." Replied the priest, answering for me. "Hikari." I felt a frown grow, uncertain what the blue eyed man could want. "What do you want?" Seth asked, his tone quiet. "To see her." "That is not enough." A tan arm blocked Seto's entrance into the apartment. "I will not allow this to continue. This wavering. Speak your answer now, or be gone." "Seth." I scolded quietly, moving to intercede. "Let him inside." "I will not..." I moved under the thick arm, and pressed on the dark-skinned man's chest. "You will. Because this is not your house, it is mine. He is welcome here." "Mwt..." It was clear he wasn't happy with my choice. "If he has a reason to be here, we will find out after dinner. Go on, you haven't washed up." Dark blue eyes met their match over my shoulder and I knew they were communicating between themselves. "That's enough, go." I said, giving a push and breaking their connection. Turning back to the CEO, I saw relief? "Come on, I just pulled dinner out of the oven." I said quietly, taking his hand into mine and leading him towards the table. "Wait... I need to talk to you." He said softly. "I know." I replied, offering a chair that remained. "And we will, after dinner." I said firmly. "I worked damn hard on this." I muttered. "You shoved it in the oven." Said Damian. "I cut the potatoes." I quipped back. "You want a medal?" "I do. Full name when you engrave it." "You bet."


	45. Chapter 45

**Almost there! Almost there! :) The end is near, so if you want to see how it ALL ends don't forget to follow and favorite! BB**

 **I don't own yugioh**

Regardless of Damian and I's attempt at lightning the mood, there was not talk around the table. Every eye was turned to the CEO, waiting. "Jesus. Can we function for a minute and be normal?" I growled. "You're sitting around the table with a 5000 year old spirit, his billionaire copy and his brother. Oh and Joey." Said Damian. "And you have magic powers." He added after a second of thought. "What's weird about that?" I asked, stabbing a potato. "Just about all of it." Said Joey, swallowing his bite. "You know what's weird. What I walked in on Yugi and Yami doin'." "What?" I looked to the blond, curious. His brows lifted and he gave the boys a look before making a sucking noise with his teeth. "No." He nodded, giving me a grin. "NO! Never would have seen that coming." "That's been a thing for a while now." Said Seto. "He is right, there have been times the Pharaoh and his light are um... occupied upstairs." Said Seth. "Oh no way! No wonder Yugi was so good at shopping." I said with a bark of laughter.

Tension eased for the time being, I took the CEO by the hand and led him out to my balcony, the lights from the city below shining over us in a soft glow. "Milo..." I looked over to see that open stare once more. Fear, uncertainty, love. I saw so much love. Had that always been there? "Milo, what I've done to you is inexcusable." He ran a hand through his hair, causing it to stand out of place, it was then I saw his image. He had dark circles under his eyes, and his suit didn't seem to sit on him quite right, hanging off just a bit. "I thought... if I just focused at what needed done at the office I wouldn't... miss you." He looked away, looking over the city instead. "But every day, I hoped... I wanted to... I just wanted you to walk in with lunch like it was some dream..." He was fidgeting, shifting his weight, he was nervous and he wasn't hiding it. "When I did see you I just... I couldn't do it. I couldn't. Then with Seth I thought... you'd replaced me. You didn't need me." "That's not true..." "Is it?" He looked to me and I saw his hurt, he was vulnerable. "I can offer you things, cars, a house, whatever you need, but he loves you." "You don't?" "Of course I do!" A look of pure frustration came over his face, whether it was at me or himself I wasn't sure. "I'm just... not that good at expressing it. I know that bothered you." He buried his hands in his hair and scratched his scalp. "He can. He does. I just... can't." "Seto I fell in love with you for a reason..." He looked to me reluctantly. "I might have been frustrated with you, but I know you're not big on displays of affection... my issue was your time... I know you have a company to run, but dinner with the boys and I a couple times a week isn't much to ask." He moved to reply and I lifted my brows. "You said you would, but you didn't... you told me to come over, and you were at the office..." He ducked his stare once more. "I didn't feel important enough for your time... _that's_ what bothered me." "My priorities aren't the greatest..." He muttered. "They're not... but I understand... That's why it's important that _you_ understand that what you lack, Seth provides..." He winced and I sighed, looking out to the town below. "It makes so much sense in my mind... I see the contrast, I see the blend, black and white, so different, but made for the other... He did nothing but tell me to be patient, to wait for you to come back. He _wants_ you to be with us Seto, he needs his light." "So patient he slept with you." "I slept with him too, don't think it was all him." I looked over. "He helped me through my grief, and my pain, and focus on my child..." I leaned up and rubbed the growing mass tenderly. "He didn't seem that happy to see me..." "He doesn't want me hurt again... I don't either but... I love you..." That bright stare turned to me and I held my hand out for him. "So I'll ask you once more... Do you want to be with me or not?" I saw his fear rise once more, but he took a step towards me, and another until we were flush. "Yes... Please. If you have it in you..." I smiled and wrapped my arms around his shoulders, bringing him in for a sweet embrace. Just as the warmth from within started to grow, I felt a sharp kick. "Aow! You little demon!" I groaned, drawing a rumble from his chest as he pulled away, looking at my stomach with a smirk. "You felt that right? She's so evil." I whined. "I did... must be from you." "Nu-uh, that's a daddy thing. Look." I took his hand and pressed it to my stomach, drawing another sharp kick. As the warmth started once more, I watched his face as another kick tapped his hand, my heart fluttering as I saw that handsome smile on his face.

"You're looking better! I don't want to take you off bed rest, but you're not showing as much protein in your urine, so that's nice." Said the Doctor as he gave a hard poke to my cervix. Can we not have a conversation while you're wrist deep? "You do look a little low on amniotic fluid, so we'll have to keep an eye on that." "What will that do?" "With you so far along, at this point we would just do a caesarian, I'm not sure how well labor would go." Said the man as he leaned out and pulled off his gloves. "So... I can't have a natural birth?" "Did you want one?" I shrugged. "Kinda... is that possible?" "I wouldn't advise it, but yes. You can try. It's crucial you go to a hospital for the birth though." "Of course." He scribbled a few things down on my chart. "And I want to see you weekly until you go, okay?" "Okay." He nodded and stood, heading for the door. "We'll see you soon."

"Gray isn't a nursery color." Said Seto with a frown. "It _is_ if you do it right." I said, smile on my face as I picked up a tray of colors and started on what would be a large mural over the south wall. "I have to say, I must agree with my hikari." "You know I don't like it when you call me that." Grunted Seto. " _I_ like it, and unless you two are going to paint, feel free to shut up and deal with it." I said with a smirk. Seth still moved to object. "I must protest to such strain, the medic said-" "The _doctor_ said he'll induce me at 37 weeks which is in... two weeks. Plenty of time, and I'll be damned if I'm going to sit on my ass and gain _more_ weight." "You look fine." Said Seto, coming to where I stood and pressing a kiss to my hair. "I need to go to work. You need anything before I go?" "Nope." He hummed and tapped my chin to bring it up for a kiss. "Actually, I lied, I do need something, from both of you." I said after a second of thought. I looked over to where the yami stood, leaning against the door frame. "What's that mwt?" "A name? I haven't really decided on any. And _you_ need to decide if you want your name on the birth certificate." I said, looking back to the man beside me. "Why does that matter?" It didn't sound defensive, just curious. "I need to know who's name she's taking." I said, turning back to where I was working on an outline. "If she's taking mine, I'd prefer an American name, but if she's taking yours I'd be more inclined to a Japanese one, call me shallow, but I like it when they match. There's this kid in Damian's class who's name is Shajune Johnson." I gave a snort, which turned into a giggle the more I thought of it. "What kind of nonsense... Seth if you want to throw in ideas, I'm open to them too." I heard a chuckle from the doorway. "I doubt you would care for our names mwt." "I'm not naming my child after a god, but you're welcome to impress me." "Why not name her for that god that birthed her?" I gave a bark of laughter, grinning as I swept my brush down. "Hikari, I do not know what an 'Ass Kisser' means, but if it means what it sounds like, I would be most inclined." I looked back to see Seto's arms crossed, a clear link passing between them. "He's calling you a suck up Seth." I clarified, grin still apparent. "That definition is not nearly as entertaining." Seto shook his head and looked over, giving me a soft smile. "I'll see you when I get home." "Alright." I stood straight to press a kiss to his lips. Once parted, a soft phrase was ghosted against my lips. "I love you." I smiled and pecked his lips once more. "Love you too." I know he was trying. Since I'd returned to the Estate, he'd said it to me at least once each day. It was usually quiet, unless we were alone, but I didn't care. Moving for the door, the light gave a look to the man in the doorway. "Behave." "If you insist." The relationship between Seto and Seth was slowly improving. The arguments were gone, or if they weren't they were reserved for their mind link. There were times they would stare at each other for what seemed like hours, conversing. At first I was curious about what couldn't be said around anyone else, but then I came to discover it was more for simplicity. An easy way to communicate without disturbing the boys and I from whatever we might be watching, or discussing among ourselves. I liked watching. Sometimes their faces would reflect what they spoke of. It wasn't uncommon to hear a snort or see a smirk as a result from something the other had said. As of yet there hadn't been much jealousy between them. An unspoken agreement had fallen over the house. On the nights Seto worked late, I would usually stay with Seth in the green and white room, but when the CEO would make a point to come home for dinner, I liked to sleep with him in his room. Many nights were spent reacquainting myself with Seto's touch, and I could feel the love he held, and the tenderness he was growing for the life within my belly. I'd woken more then once to find his head on my chest while he softly ran his hand over my stomach. Seth would wrap me close, and tell me stories of his time in Egypt, of monsters he summoned, of his High Priest training, and a woman named Kisara. "Her beauty was great... but her soul... her soul was pure, and innocent, with such a power I'd never seen." He spoke one night, my head on his chest, just listening to his voice. "What happened to her?" "She would give her soul, so that I might be saved..." "What did she have inside her?" He'd explained how monsters would often take shape of the soul within, how he would learn to extract and summon them. "A wondrous dragon, with it's scales of white, and mighty blue eyes and breath of lightning." I had to smile. Go figure.


	46. Chapter 46

**Another chapter down! Thank you for staying with me! Just a heads up, this chapter might be a bit short. BB**

 **I don't own yugioh**

"Are you ready?" I asked the men as I held the door shut to the nursery. "Come on, I want to see." Prodded Seto, curiosity clear on his face, Seth's almost a mirror of the same emotion. "Yes mwt, don't tease." I smirked and swung open the door. The walls were a light gray, with swirls of blue and white dusting through, matching the lining to the crib. Duel monsters of all kinds were painted tenderly across the walls in all places in small cartoonish forms. Dark Magician, Gaia, Red Eyes, Kariboh and Scapegoat, with so many others. The exception would be on the south wall. Three Blue Eyes, in their full glory laid around a nest, a large, single egg in it's center. Something was different about these dragons though. True to form, they looked the same, but their color was off. One was a bright rich blue, while the other a deeper ocean hue, and the last a deep reflective blue, it's scales shimmering like an oil slick. "Gods above..." Spoke Seth, his hand coming out to touch the image, wonder clear on his face. "It's beautiful." Murmured a voice in my ear, arms coming to wrap around my form. "You truly _are_ a gift my dear..." Said Seth, dark hands tracing his dragon. "You don't think it'll scare her?" I asked, a nervous smile on my face. "I didn't think about it until after I drew it, I-" "Shhh." A soft kiss pressed to my neck, and I couldn't help but sink into the touch. "My light is correct... she will never know fear from this image, only protection." Said the priest, turning and giving a soft smile. "And love." He finished as he approached, pressing his lips to mine. A spike of worry started in my stomach. The Egyptian hadn't been this open about our relationship around his light. Quickly though my fear was settled by another soft press of lips over my neck. Just as my heart slowed, I felt a burn start in my stomach. I thought maybe it was the warmth that would usually appear with the child, but as I parted from the priest, it changed. Pain from my abdomen would bring a hard wince to my face, hands moving to my large stomach instantly. "What's wrong mwt?" Asked Seth, hands coming to join mine. Another hard wave would hit before I felt a dampness spread down my legs. "Aw fuck." I breathed, leaning on the dark-skinned man. "We need to go." "What's-" "I think my water just broke, we should probably go." I encouraged Seth.

Hours of searing pain, waiting for epidurals, and fading naps that I would be fortunate to get in if I was lucky. Sweat caked my forehead. I almost felt in a daze, saving what energy I could for the actual birth. When at last I was told to push, I clung hard to the dark hand in mine, the whole time that soft voice murmuring to me, whispering of the glory of the being to come. I felt her get free, and I heard the distinct call of my daughter taking her first breath. Through the haze I saw her father cut the cord connecting her to me. "Mwt?" Asked Seth, voice concerned as the hand holding his loosened suddenly. "Milo." "She's bleeding." Murmured one of the nurses. "Get them out." Said the physician, sparking two nurses to turn to the copies and escort them from the room. "The baby's fine, we just need to get the bleeding stopped." Said one of them to the CEO, prompting a spike of fear to shoot through the link between them. "Breathe Hikari." Said Seth, draping an arm over the shoulder of his light and drawing him in, foreheads pressed together. _"_ _Pray with me."_ Spoke the yami, feeling the desperation pouring from the other. _"_ _I don't-" "Beseech the gods, your voice will find it's target."_ So the man with no faith, with no belief in magic, or of creatures greater then himself, prayed.

I awoke to a warmth upon my chest, slowly stirring, I shakily opened my eyes. The first thing to come into my vision was the view of a red-faced child, wrapped in a blanket and snuggled into my bosom. "There you are..." I whispered, voice thick as I brought a sluggish hand up. "Hey... you're awake." Murmured a soft voice from beside the bed. I looked over to see the executive at my side, his bright blue eyes relieved as he brushed my cheek. "You had us worried." "What happened?" "You started to hemorrhage, you passed out." I looked to the child once more, and he continued. "She's fine... Came out screaming." I hummed and gave a smile as I ran a finger over her nose. It was definitely mine, softer then her father's. Peeling back the blanket a bit, I found her hands. "Ten fingers, ten toes... look at those fin'ners." I cooed. She had her fathers hands, even now, long digits wrapped around my finger, and a low whimper left her. "Where's Seth?" I asked, seeing an absence of the spirit. "He needed a break, I sent him for food." "Oh food..." I hadn't eaten in hours. A chuckle left the new father, tapping my chin. "I had him get extra." "You're too good to me."

Damian and Mokuba would be the first to come see the small child, I watched with a swelled heart as Seto coached the boys through holding the bundle. A smile curled my lips as the babe opened her eyes, as Damian took hold, a cry leaving her lips immediately. "I broke it." He whimpered. I flashed a grin and held my hands out. "She's not ate yet. Return the baby burrito." Passing the whimpering child, her voice quieted quickly. "Do you want boob?" A small cry left her throat as dark eyes looked to me. Parting the robe I wore, I cradled her to my chest. Latching instantly, I nearly winced as a hard suck primed the flesh for her meal. "Agh." Whined the teens, bringing their hands up. "Better get used to it." I said with a smirk. "You can't just flop your titty out and not warn people." Said Damian, making a pointed look away. "Sure I can. You're gonna eat in front of her, she should be able to eat in front of you." "You're my sister." "Your malfunction." I looked to the blue eyed man beside the bed. "You mind?" "Not in the slightest." "Agreed." Commented the Egyptian with a smirk.

"So tell me... what name did you decide mwt?" Asked Seth as the child and her father slept. "No... I couldn't figure out any that sounded any good." I commented, running a hand through Seto's thick hair. "Will she be taking my light's name?" I nodded, looking down to the exhausted CEO. "He was very adamant about it... I couldn't find any to my liking though. I hoped meeting her would change that." "Has it?" I snorted and shook my head. "What would you name her?" He shrugged. "Our times are different, places aren't the same." "Come on, tell me... Surely you came up with some for Olmi..." I said, looking to the Priest. He stood and wandered to where the child slept. Her hair had dried, showing a mahogany coloring. "We were predicted a boy... He was to be named Akhon, which means Eagle... We discussed a girl, should we be taken by surprise we were to name her Banafrit, which means beautiful soul." I enjoyed when he would pronounce his words, his native language slipping through. "She will hold this world in her palm... a knowledge of the father, with the beauty of the mother. A likes of which has not been seen since Cleopatra would rule over Alexandria." I sat up a bit, a clear look of interest on my face. "Hey..." Grunted Seto, his nose curling as he slowly woke. "Sorry..." I muttered, bringing my hand down to brush his hair back. "Just got a bit excited." "Oh yea?" He replied, sitting up and giving a hard stretch. "What about Alexandra?" Seth's brows lifted, hand coming to his hip while the other ran over the baby's soft skin. "A worthy name." "Alexandra Kaiba." Murmured Seto, a small smile curling his lips. "I like it." "Me too." "Good."


	47. Chapter 47

**This is it! The happy ending :) The next chapter is a note from me, thank you guys so much for everything!**

 **I don't own yugioh**

Diaper bag crossed down my chest, car-seat on a stroller, I pressed the code into Seto's private lift, swiping the card kept around my neck with a few others. As the doors at the top opened, I looked over as I walked in. His brows lifted as he spotted me. "You busy?" He shrugged, but summoned me closer anyway. "She _just_ fell asleep in the car..." I muttered as I rolled her to the side of the desk. "She's been crying all day." I sighed, reaching into the bottom of the stroller and pulling out a reusable bag with a box inside. "I brought you some lunch." He hummed and wrapped an arm around my hips, drawing me to sit on his knees. "Thank you." I nodded, giving a hard yawn. "You okay?" He asked, wiping away the tears that leaked from the action. I nodded once more. "I'm just tired. I hear rumor that happens with newborns." He rumbled and pressed a kiss to my temple. "Take a nap. I'll watch her for a minute." My brows pinned. "I don't mean that-" "She's sleeping, and I have to eat anyway. Go on." He nodded towards the couch at the end of the office. I didn't want too, but damn a nap sounded so good. "Alright... just wake me up if she wakes up, okay?" He nodded and pressed a kiss to my lips.

"No, if that's what they want, I don't even want to bother." _"_ _Sir, if we turn them down we may not have another opportunity."_ Spoke a voice through the speaker on the phone. "How unfortunate." Replied Seto, tone dripping with sarcasm. Sitting up, I found the executive leaned back in his chair, a small form resting on his front while he gently rocked the chair from side to side. _"_ _This company is the top producers of duel monster cards sir-"_ "I know what it is, if I wanted to pay that much for it, I'd make my own cards." Said the blue eyed man. "In the meantime, I want you to go to their competition. Let's see if this opportunity might be salvaged." _"_ _Yes sir."_ The line clicked and I yawned as he looked my way. "What time is it?" "Almost five." "What?" I looked to the clock on the wall and blinked as it confirmed his statement. I'd arrived close to two. "You could have woke me up..." I said, crawling off the couch to approach the pair. "Why? We're fine." He shifted her into the crook of his arm, her head resting on his shoulder leaving her hands free to grip his jacket and shirt. Her eyes were wide open, staring up at the man peacefully while she suckled on her pacifier. "Daddy time is the best time." I murmured, pressing a kiss to the father's hair.

Just like with Seto, I would take the child for a trip to see Seth. The old man behind the counter was happy to see such a young face, and I was just happy to be out of the house. "I must admit I was jealous when my Hikari told me you had paid him a visit." Said the dark-skinned man as he leaned over me. "Really?" He hummed and pressed a kiss to my lips. "If you ever want to see me, just say so, we've just been home all day. Mommy's bored." I grunted as I pulled back, drawing a grin from him. The bell over the door rang and in came the pharaoh and the two darkest of the yami's. "Milo. It's good to see you." Said the king with a kind smile. "You too Yami, just came to see your priest." I said with a smile as I squeezed the chin of my lover. "You brought Alex with you? Best be careful, Yugi has been asking to see her." "He's more then welcome too. But he might have to fight with his grandfather." I replied, seeing the older man smiling at the young child, murmuring words and making faces. "Let _me_ see the little worm." Said Bakura, approaching the older man. "Away from the child thief." Growled Seth, instantly moving to intercede. "I just want to look at it." I touched Seth and gave a firm eye to the tomb robber. Reluctantly, Mr. Moto allowed the white haired thief to loom over the small being. "Such a treasure..." The moment his hand hovered over the child, I felt myself move. Everything stilled. Clutched tightly in my hand was the Millennium Rod, the end pressed tightly to the spirit's adam's apple. "You said _look_." A smirk came over the spirit's face, and he pulled his hand away. "No harm mwt." I didn't like it when he said it. "Let's not be so hasty, you don't even know what that does..." "I'm a quick study." It started out with a rumble, before a deep, crackled laugh came from Marik. "I can't tell who's pants are wetter! The child or the thief!" A chuckle left the priest before the Pharaoh would follow. "Yes, yes, very amusing, away from me with that thing." Grunted Bakura. I pulled the stem away from his neck, and he moved away from where the baby lay cradled in Mr. Moto's arms. I looked at the rod in my hand and frowned. Out of everything, why would I grab this? Turning, I offered it to Seth. "Keep it... may it protect you when I cannot." He murmured, pressing a kiss to my forehead.

I let out a heavy sigh as I pressed through the endless keys. Over the course of my first few months with Alex, everything seemed to fall into place. Seth, Damian, Deezer, and myself fully integrated into the Kaiba Estate. Unwilling to allow my apartment to be lost, I offered it to Joey. Seto had, unfortunately, disbanded the art department as he had threatened, but had taken my words to heart, and instead of firing the blond man, had provided him with my old consulting position. With little else to do, I stayed home with Alex, often going out during the day if the weather was nice. Damian would transfer to Mokuba's school, and I'd actually noticed a hard spike in his GPA with the Kaiba brother's aid. Today wasn't unusual. Alex had a check up, Damian and Mokuba had _both_ decided they wanted to start Karate within the last month, and I wasn't one to discourage extracurricular activities. "Mommy needs a nap." I cooed to the smiling child as I unlocked the door. The house was quiet, as expected. Seto usually worked late on Tuesday and Seth wasn't home until around dinner time. "Nap time, nap time, momma's gonna take a nap cuz it's..." I trailed off as I passed the archway into the living room. I saw Seth, breathless, focus on the couch below. Unsure of what I was seeing, I stepped inside. Large hands ran up the dark man's torso, and the Egyptian bent to meet the lips of the one below. Rounding the couch, I felt my heart stop. Good lord. Seth sat firmly in the lap of his light, their hands roaming under shirts and over skin, lips pressed firmly together. I felt something warm start down my lip and brought my hand up to touch it. Is that blood? "Holy sweet mercy." I muttered. Both heads snapped up, and a clear look of guilt crossed their features. "Mwt, I can explain?" Offered Seth. "I... Is it my birthday?" I asked, wiping my nose in an avid attempt to staunch the bleeding. It started as a rumble before Seto's rich laugh filled the room, his yami's smoky chuckle quickly joining in.


	48. Chapter 48

**I just wanted to add in a little note from the author, don't feel obligated to read, but I wanted to post.**

 **This story has been amazing to write, for something that I'd started on just on a whim, I forgot how much fun it can be to have a story so strong, and well done (My opinion anyway lol) I felt not only confident enough to post, but I felt I had too. I wanted to share the joy and fun I had writing it, and the happiness I felt when I finished. A lot of you have been reading since I first started posting, and that makes me so happy that you loved it enough to wait for it's ending. I hope everyone enjoyed this story, and if you have a moment, please tell me what you thought of it. As long as I've been writing, there's always room for improvement. Thank you guys so much.**

 **Barnbandit.**

 **PS- I have started another SK/OC story called Jamie if you would like to read more. Link to the story is on my profile. Thanks again!**


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